


Alienated: The Sequel

by Beeba



Category: Deadpool (Comics), Spider-Man - All Media Types, SpiderVenom - Fandom, Spivenpool - Fandom, Venom (Comics), spideypool - Fandom
Genre: But It Gets Bad Before It Gets Better, Coma, Depression, Drugs, Explicit Sexual Content, Fear, Happy Ending, Hatred, Heartbreak, Hospital, Love Squares?, Love Triangles, M/M, Male Nurse, Mental Health Issues, Non-Consensual Groping, Non-Consensual Voyeurism, Obsession, Rape/Non-con Elements, Rejection, Romance, Spideypool - Freeform, Stalking, Suicidal Thoughts, Temporary Amnesia, Unconscious Sex, Unrequited Love, is that even a thing?, lovemaking, seriously, so many apologies
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-03
Updated: 2018-01-06
Packaged: 2018-04-29 16:36:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 10
Words: 51,598
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5134874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beeba/pseuds/Beeba
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“What…have you done…to me…?” Peter struggled to say, only to receive the gentlest of smiles in return.</p><p>“What we’ve done every morning, baby boy.”</p><p>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>The sequel to Alienated: Bedridden in a New York City hospital, Peter struggles to locate a month of missing memories, only to regret learning the truth.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Relax

**Author's Note:**

> After finishing "Alienated," a lot of readers asked for a sequel. Well, here it is! I don't know how many chapters will be in this story, but I can promise that there will be a happy ending this time. Seriously! No hidden meanings, no sarcasm, nothing but a happy ending. Well, as happy as a story like this can be anyway.
> 
> Again. This is a SEQUEL! Many things probably won't make sense if you haven't read the first story, so please read “Alienated” before reading “Alienated: The Sequel.” 
> 
> Oh, one more thing. Please read the Archive Warnings and Tags. You've been warned!
> 
> Anyway, thanks for reading Alienated, and I hope that you will enjoy this story (and ending) as much as (or more than) its prequel!

 

 

 

 

 

“…I don’t feel so good…” Peter muttered out, letting the glass of orange juice slip from his hand and shatter against the wood floor below, his body clumsily swaying from side to side as his stability left him. As he struggled to keep his heavy eyelids from shutting, the tainted mercenary watched on from the other side of the kitchen table at its seated mate, examining the naked human’s condition while the medicine from his drink slowly began to take effect. Peter reached up to weakly hold his aching head as the world spun violently around him, his eyes barely strong enough to shoot it a looming glare.

 “What…have you done…to me…?” Peter struggled to say, only to receive the gentlest of smiles in return.

“What we’ve done every morning, baby boy.”

The tainted mercenary could see mate’s body tense at the words, but the creature had become numb to the human’s shocked expression. After all, the tainted mercenary had been drugging its mate with the amnesia inducing rohypnol for about two weeks now, and Spidey still didn’t suspect a thing.

Until it was too late, of course.

Peter reached up to grasp the table, probably preparing to run, and the creature sighed. He was so predictable. Every morning, it was the same routine. Mate would figure out he had been drugged before making an imprudent decision to dart to the nearest exit he could, despite the fact that the human was completely nude and could hardly move. Still, it was quite entertaining to see him try.

When Spidey did manage to stand up, however, something new happen. Instead of maintaining his balance and stumbling his way over to the door or the window, Spidey’s eyes shut and his body went completely limp. His head drooped slowly to the side as his legs buckled underneath of his weight before dropping to the floor like a bag of rocks.

The creature sat there for a moment, still processing what it had just witnessed.

“Sssspidey?” the creature called out, standing from its seat and raising an invisible eyebrow as it looked down at the unconscious hero. Despite knowing what it did, this reaction seemed a little, strange. Perhaps Spidey was having a bad reaction to the medicine. After all, it was the first time the creature had doubled the dosage of rohypnol, due to mate’s trouble staying relaxed the night before. With each single dose it gave him, Spidey wouldn’t stay asleep for as long as the day before, probably due to his body becoming accustomed to the medicine. So, to help, Venom made the decision to double the dosage today.

But even though the creature expected mate to stay asleep longer, it didn’t expect this. Spidey had never fainted this way while they were still at the table. Spidey would normally mutter and curse and plead while in the bedroom before falling unconscious, but as the creature looked down at the fallen human for some time, it could tell that he was completely knocked out.

Venom frowned at the sight, then walked around the table and knelt beside him.

“Too much…” it muttered to itself before sighing. Far too much medicine…

The creature reached under the unconscious human and lifted him up from the cold floor and into its much warmer arms. It was going to be interesting, mating with a completely unconscious Spidey, but the creature would make sure to treat its mate well, as if he could still feel it.

The creature made its way to the bedroom and laid the human down on his back over the comforter. It reached up and began to remove all of the bandages from the human’s chest and forehead. Not like they covered any injuries. Spidey’s body healed up days ago, but it had to continue playing along with this façade in order to keep its mate calm. Once the bandages were gone, it leaned over to brush the hair from the human’s forehead that had grown quite a bit since his arrival. But the creature didn’t mind much; Venom liked Spidey with long hair like this.

The creature could feel its cheeks blush as it leaned down to get a better look at its mate’s face. At least with him unconscious like this, it would be easier to envision a willing mate laying beneath him. It could imagine all of the things he would say, what he would want it to do to him, the sounds he’d make. The creature’s body heated up from just the thought of Spidey holding on for dear life, his body wet with sweat and trembling in ecstasy as it thrusted something amazing into him. That would be just wonderful, but it was so unrealistic.

Well, at least it had the next best thing.

“A kissss? Of courssse mate can have a kisss…” it answered back to the unspoken question before leaning down and gently pressing its lips against Spidey’s. It moaned in delight. The human’s mouth was still sticky and sweet from the orange juice he enjoyed a few moments ago. He tasted good, and as always, it couldn’t get enough of him. A single, simple kiss quickly turned into one with tongue, the creature having let its long, slimy appendage slip past its mate’s lips and explore the inside of his mouth. It could practically hear mate moan in its head as it tasted the remnants of juice that remained in the other’s mouth, the creature using its much larger tongue to circle around the other’s unconscious one.

A hand snaked down across the human’s chest and stomach and into something warm that rested between the human’s legs. The creature wrapped its fingers around the warm piece of flesh and gave it a tug before breaking off their intimate kiss and smiling.

“Ssspidey knowsss we’re going all the way today…” it warned quietly. It could visualize the worried look growing on its mate’s face, and it leaned down to give the other a reassuring kiss on the forehead.

“Don’t worry, baby boy. We’ll be gentle thisss time” it promised. “And we have a sssurprissse…”

Venom reached down with its free hand and pulled something hidden under the mattress. It was a small bottle of clear lube, filled to the brim with the strawberry scented liquid. The creature dangled the bottle in front of the human’s closed eyes.

“It wasss the mossst expensssive one in the whole ssstore” it said, as if it hadn’t broke into the sex shop late last night and took the small bottle without a payment or a second thought. The tainted mercenary popped the cap open with a flick of its thumb and raised one of mate’s knees into his stomach. The creature hummed at the sight of mate’s flexibility before tilting the bottle over his exposed opening and spilling an abundant amount of lube on it.

“Oh, isss it cold? We’re sssorry” it muttered, but continued pouring the liquid until much of the bottle was used. Once the creature deemed that mate had enough, it tossed the bottle to the side and moved down to kneel in front of the human’s opening. It raised both of the human’s knees to his chest, getting a perfect view of the mess it had made.

“We wissssh mate could sssee thisss…” it whispered, staring in awe at the beautiful hole it was getting ready to invade. Very gently, the creature pressed its index finger against the human’s opening. To its delight, the digit went in with ease, and the creature was able to quickly send pleasure to its mate’s prostate. It rubbed on the sensitive area meticulously and tenderly, knowing mate would love this sort of touching.

“Feelsss nice, yesss?” it asked, glancing up to the human’s sleeping face for a response. Spidey’s lips hadn’t moved, but the creature was certain it heard mate tell it to give him something a little more, cumbersome. The alien smiled.

“Anything for mate.”

It breathed out, allowing its penis to reveal itself from hiding and rub against the slick sphincter. Compared to the opening, the creature’s appendage was huge. No wonder Spidey always thrashed and whined when it tried to mate with him. But since Spidey was sleeping so soundly, they wouldn’t have that problem this time.

The tip slowly pressed against the opening, the creature making sure to move slowly as to not damage its little human.

“Ssshhh…it’s alright…” it comforted, knowing mate would be screaming his lungs out at this point. So it was careful and made sure to be as gentle as possible, gradually pressing itself further into mate until most of the long part was pushed into place. Much thanks to the expensive lube it used.

The creature moaned at its mate’s heat. It held onto the back of Spidey’s thighs and kept his knees pressed up against his stomach, watching as its penis pulsated against the tight opening. It really wanted to wait for Spidey to get used to the feeling, for him to stretch properly, but it could hardly contain itself.

“Pleassse sstay calm, baby boy…” it whispered before giving into its lustful inhibitions and rolling its hips. It shuttered and pressed its lips onto the crook of his neck before humming a moan against the skin there. Slowly it moved faster, thrusting itself in and out of its lubed mate with ease, the feeling of Spidey’s inside stealing any rational thought the symbiotic creature might have had. It rumbled and moaned in pleasure, feeling its mate’s body clench and throb against it, sucking the creature’s part deeper inside. Spidey’s body moved with the creature’s movements, his hardening cock swiveling uncontrollably with the motion of its thrusting, begging for its attention.

“Happy ending?” it teased, then reached over to grab the smaller cock and caress the tip with its thumb. There was wetness there, the pool of Spidey’s cum forming on top. It couldn’t help but chuckle. It was nice to know mate was just as turned on as it was, even while unconscious. Still thrusting its hips, it moved its hand fast and lovingly, using the technique it knew Spidey liked before a splash of hot liquid dripped over its fingers and against the human’s stomach. And though Spidey’s face hadn’t moved from the climax, it was certain Spidey felt amazing, too.

Now it was the creature’s turn. Holding the human’s body in place by the back of his legs, it pounded its baby boy into the mattress, hearing mate moan and whine and beg for it to climax inside.

“Isss mate sssure?” it asked the unconscious human, and hummed in delight when mate told it that it was alright. The creature smiled at the imaginary conversation, then leaned down to steal another tongue excessive kiss from its mate.

“We love mate…” it cooed, then huffed, feeling the pressure build in its groin. The creature lowered its forehead to the other’s shoulder and let him have its all, pushing the entire length of its cock inside its tight mate over and over again until a wave of ecstasy engulfed its consciousness and it moaned out in pleasure.

“Baby boy…!” it cried out to the ceiling as it felt a gallon of its hot seed pass through its urethra and into its mate’s stomach, filling him with its heated scent. It sat there for a moment with its beady eyes closed shut, its skin shuttering as it basked in the sensation of emptying all of itself inside the person it loved.

After the feeling subsided with some time, the creature removed its relaxed appendage from its mate’s hole and smiled at the sight of its cum dripping out slowly from his insides and onto the clean sheets below. What a pretty sight. What a nice mate Spidey was when he was relaxed.

The creature absorbed its part back into its body and laid beside its sleeping lover with a heavy sigh. It wrapped its arms around the human’s hips and held him close, allowing his much smaller body to press against its. As the tainted mercenary stared at its mate’s sleeping face, it smiled contently. Oh, what it wouldn’t do to stay like this forever, its mate resting peacefully in its arms and filled to the brim with its scent, happy, and together, with no other distractions to destroy their relationship. This, whatever this was, was nothing less than pure, unadulterated peace.

It cooed and nuzzled the long locks that hid most of Spidey’s face, enjoying every second of giving its mate the quality attention he had been yearning for. Though Spidey wouldn’t stay relaxed like this forever, at least the creature didn’t have to run out in the middle of the day to take care of its blonde pet at the abandoned apartment complex.

Ever since its pet miraculously escaped its pin a week ago, the creature had the opportunity to spend the entire day with its mate. The extra time was extremely useful. It could cook for mate, tease mate, pleasure mate and give mate everything he’d ever want without disturbing their time together for the tedious responsibility of feeding that thing hanging over its head. All it had to do now was make their daily plan.

“After mate’sss bath, wanna watch sssome tv? Or maybe read? Or round two? Whatever mate wantsss, we can do” it asked, staring at the other’s face and waiting for his unspoken response. The creature smiled upon receiving its answer and held the human even closer to its chest.

“Yesss mate, we can do that, too.”

But for now, it wanted to lay there for a while, lying in the sweat and other bodily mess the two had created together. As it stared lovingly at mate’s closed eyes, it wondered how long mate would stay relaxed this time. Since he consumed double the ordinary dosage, it assumed that mate would sleep for double the amount of time. By that logic, it meant that Spidey shouldn’t be waking up again until the next morning, hopefully. He was going to be hungry. What was Spidey going to eat tomorrow? It had eggs but, that wouldn’t nearly be enough for a hungry mate like Spidey. It was going to have to go out and nab something again. It would have to leave mate alone for a little while. The creature frowned at the idea, but tried to stay positive. At least it could give mate most of its day. And whatever meal it ended up making, the creature was going to ensure that it tasted great for its baby boy. Whatever baby boy wanted, it would provide. No matter what.

 


	2. Awaken

Peter could feel his face cringe as the bright light from above penetrated through his closed eyelids and aggravated his sensitive retinas. It was an intense light, too bright to be the sun, too artificial to be anything natural, and suddenly the human wondered just where in the hell he was. He had no idea how he came to be in such a bright place. What he dead? Was this heaven? Slowly, Peter cracked his curious eyes open, the brightness only intensifying without the protection of the eyelids. Peter groaned and turned his face away from the brightness that hovered over him. He blinked rapidly, trying to get his eyes used to the new environment, before his vision soon reappeared and he could see again.

It was a room he’d never been in before, and yet, it seemed so familiar. His first sight, a window on the other side of the room that displayed snow covered buildings and streets, the suns bright rays illuminating the inches of white powder that concealed his city. Peter blinked, finding the beautiful sight quite odd. It didn’t really snow like this in the middle of October. At least, not like this. No. Never like this…

Peter reached up to rub his eyes, assuming he was still in a deep slumber, when his hand snagged on something, followed by a sharp pain. He hissed at the feeling in the back of his hand and looked down, his eyes widening as he gazed upon his light blue, paper thin hospital gown he wore. Was this a…was he in a... hospital? The confused human slowly pulled his pained hand from under the sheets on the bed, spotting the IV implanted and taped down to his skin. Suddenly he could hear the faint beeping of the heart monitor excel, and Peter turned to the other side of the bed to see the green lines on the small screen spike as his anxiety intensified.

Just what in the hell happened? What had he done to end up here? Peter tried to think back, tried to remember how he got to this place, but his memories eluded him. There was nothing to recall, only, a blank slate, a missing piece of memory that refused to come to mind.

He still knew who we was, fortunately. What he was for a living. What his ‘alter ego’ did at night. Perhaps something happened while he was in his suit was what put him in the hospital? Peter looked down at his body.

“Okay, Peter…” he muttered to himself, looking down at the hump in the sheets that hid his feet. “Wiggle your big toe…”

To Peter’s delight, he could. So he wasn’t paralyzed, which was good. But what else could it be? Peter used his free hand to run his fingers over himself to examine the rest of his body. He tensed, suddenly feeling the catheter pressed inside of his penis. Now that he knew it was there, he could feel the throbbing irritation coming from his dick. But other than that, and some soreness from laying on the bed, his body felt absolutely fine. No broken bones, no aches, no pain, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. So why was he here?

A knock on the door broke Peter out of his thoughts and he looked up. From the small, square window, Peter could see a man peeking through the window at him. From what Peter could tell, the other seemed surprised, almost shocked to see the brunette staring back, before he turned the doorknob and hurriedly opened the door. With his body now in full view, Peter could see that the man was a nurse dressed head to toe in his purple scrubs, the bright smile overly enthusiastic and slightly concerning to the hero.

“G-good morning! Wow, you’re…awake” he said, clearing still surprised to see the human had come out of his slumber. The hero blinked, trying to examine the other’s wide smile and find the reason for all of his high energy enthusiasm and excitement. What was so exciting about waking up? Was this person not _expecting_ Peter to wake up?

The nurse stepped up to Peter’s side before he could come up with any logical explanation. At this range, Peter’s weak eyes could get a better of view of who exactly he was dealing with. His wandering brown eyes looked up to the other’s gray ones. His dark hair covered most of his face, almost goth-like. He seemed young, too, no older than Peter, but far less mature if that overly upbeat smile was anything to go by. Still, it was a nice smile, though, and Peter felt a small sense of an uncomfortable yet needed serenity from it.

Before Peter could stare any longer, his left eye was blinded once more with an overbearingly white flash of light. Peter instantly shut his eyelids and turned his face away, unsure of what the hell just happened. Dammit, why were his eyes still so sensitive?

“What the hell…” Peter muttered under the nurse’s quiet apology.

“Sorry. I need to check your retinas. To make sure you’re actually…you know…”

“…I know? Know what?” Peter asked, slowly opening his eyes to see the nurse holding a small flashlight in his hand. Peter rubbed his eyes, then turned to allow him to complete his work. The nurse paused for a minute before continuing to use his flashlight, his childish smile shifting into a straight line, and failing to answer the patient’s question. Instead, he swiftly changed the topic.

“How are you feeling?” he asked quietly, turning off his light and popping the small device back into his pocket. Peter looked down and visually examined his body once more.

“Um, fine. My eyes kinda sensitive …” he admitted shyly, rubbing on them again.

“What’s going on? I don’t remember…coming here-”

“The doctor will explain everything to you in a second, okay?” the nurse interrupted, and Peter frowned. The nurse did not have time to notice this, though, as he quickly turned back to the door and hurried out of the room, probably in search of the doctor. Peter looked down at his body and sighed out. He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t nervous. It was never good to hear a nurse say something like that to a patient. Was something wrong with him? He felt fine…

A few moments later and a female doctor came through the door in front of the same nurse. Peter blinked at her, trying to ignore the fact that her red hair and bright green eyes resembled that of a certain ex-girlfriend. In her hand was a clipboard pages thick, and Peter held his breath. What were all of those papers?

“Well, good morning, Mr. Parker” she said almost cautiously. “I’m Doctor Holmes. I see you met our nurse, Dave” she introduced, the nurse smiling and nodding to Peter when his name was called. “We didn’t expect to see you wake up so soon” the doctor continued on.

“How long was I out?” Peter asked, not sure if he really wanted an answer. The doctor glanced up at him for a moment, then gave it to him straight.

“We’re not sure. But you’ve been here at the hospital for a few weeks now.”

Peter blinked, unable to process the words before the doctor continued on.

“If you don’t mind me asking. What’s your last memory? Can you remember?” the doctor asked, stepping up to the hero and placing the clipboard on the nearby dresser. Peter reached up and held his forehead with his hand, too conflicted and confused to care to steal a glance at the clipboard’s content.

“A few weeks…?” Peter breathed out. From his peripherals, he could see the doctor nod in confirmation.

“A little more than three weeks, to be exact. In a coma” she specified.

Peter could hear the heart monitor spike as his heart reacted to the news. Three weeks. Asleep for weeks. In some sort of a coma! What the hell put him in a coma!? Before he could spew out the countless number of questions running rampantly through his mind, he tensed, feeling the doctor place her hand on top of his shoulder. Peter looked up to see her sympathetic smile before speaking again.

“Please don’t freak out on us, Peter” she implored gently. “I know this seems a little scary, but, you have to work with us. So we can diagnose you. To make sure you’re okay. Alright?”

Peter looked down to the bed and closed his eyes, trying to take deep breaths and calm himself. As hard as it was to take the news, she was right. The last thing he needed was to put himself in another coma with a panic attack. Peter looked up to the doctor and the nurse again. Though the doctor seemed calm and levelheaded, the nurse’s expression displayed the gravity of Peter’s situation. He looked so uncomfortable being in the same room, so worried. Upon seeing the hero look back at his expression, the nurse looked down to his shoes and away from the brunette’s brown eyes.

“Please. Your last memory” the doctor interrupted, removing her hand from his shoulder and taking Peter’s attention once more.

“Um…” Peter began to think back again, trying to recall something, anything, that could help.

“I remember walking home from work…” he said quietly, but then lowered his head. Work…how many days of work had he missed? Jameson probably fired and replaced his ass by now. How the hell was he going to pay his bills without…

Shit, his rent! Did he pay his rent last month…? He remembered getting his paycheck, walking home from work, but he didn’t remember paying his rent! Fuck! How many weeks late was he? Peter felt his eyes swivel around the room as he tried to think back to the date he received his paycheck. It had to be on a Friday, and his rent was due that Saturday. If it had been a couple of weeks, then…

“Shit…” the hero whined to himself quietly, earning the attention of the others.

“What? Did you remember something?” the doctor asked, grabbing her clipboard and a pen from her white coat. Peter looked up to the others, who looked genuinely concerned. Peter lowered his hand and tried to maintain his composure.

“I...um…no. I just, remembered I have bills is all” he muttered back, then sighed. Bills…

“Which reminds me, how many zeros does my hospital bill have?” he ever so unenthusiastically asked. Of course, The Daily Bugle didn’t give out benefits. Not that they’d even be useful when he’s got no job anymore…

The doctor’s worried expression seemed to fade at this, and she smiled.

“Actually, just one” she replied back. “Whoever bought you in, which, we still don’t know who, paid in advance. In cash.”

Peter looked up at the doctor and stared. So, someone bought him here? And paid? Who would do something like that? Who could afford to?

“But. As I said, we don’t really know who bought you. Or, how you got _in_ here for that matter. Security’s looked over video feed, security sensors, everything. It’s all very…strange…” she said, trailing off at the end of her sentence. Clearly, this was Spider-man related. It had to be.

“Excuse me. I’ve digressed a little, haven’t I?” she said with a chuckle before raising her pen to her clipboard again.

“Sorry about that. Back to your memories. You said you remember coming home from work.”

Peter nodded.

“I remember…walking. It was really cold, it sucked. Then I got to my apartment…went up the steps and then…” Peter stopped, trying to think back. He recalled making it up to his room. He remembered it being dark there, too.

“I…couldn’t see anything…” Peter muttered before quickly silencing himself upon stumbling upon more of the eerie details. He was beginning to remember the glass scattered about the floor, the bitter coldness of his apartment shooting goosebumps up his spine, the odd sensation of being watched...

And…teeth?

W-wait….wait a minute!

Peter gripped a handful of his hair that sat on his forehead and shut his eyes, his wild, raging emotions reflecting on the heart monitor.

“Peter…” he heard the doctor call out, but he ignored her. He was too busy trying to decipher why the hell there were _teeth_ in this sort of memory. Venom’s teeth, for that matter. Did Venom do something to him? Did it attack him? What the hell happened? Why couldn’t he remember…?!

“I don’t remember anything after that” Peter quickly muttered out, refusing to give out any more details, his lying eyes hidden under his closed eyelids. “I don’t…remember.”

A silence took over the room and Peter slowly opened his eyes. Upon glancing up at the two other humans, the brunette could tell they weren’t buying Peter’s bullshit. Still, they didn’t question the hero.

“I think that’s enough for now” the doctor said quietly as she lowered her clipboard and put her pen back in her pocket. Peter frowned, then nodded in agreement. Some things just couldn’t be said. He needed to figure things out on his own first, before he messed around and unintentionally revealed himself as Spider-Man. Things already looked suspicious as it was.

“I don’t want you to stress anymore. As silly as this may sound, I think you need some rest. To settle your mind” the doctor suggested. Peter nodded in agreement, thankful that she was so understanding. Still, the last thing he wanted to do was stay in this place. He had to see his landlord as soon as possible and pay his rent…

“I need to get home soon” Peter told her in a small voice, only to receive a vigorous headshake from both the doctor and the nurse.

“No. That’s not happening. At least, not for a little while” she instantly responded. “You just woke up from a _coma_ , Peter. You can’t remember what happened. There’s still stuff in your system that we’re cleaning out. You can’t just leave-”

“Stuff?” Peter questioned, his eyebrows furrowing. What stuff was she talking about? The doctor looked down at her clipboard and flipped through some of the papers.

“We did some bloodwork while you were out. Are you taking any medication? Herbs? Anything at all?”

Peter, still unsure as to what the doctor was getting at, shook his head in return. The doctor nodded, then lowered her clipboard to give the hero her eyes. She looked like she had a terrible secret to tell, and it bothered the hero. Maybe something really was wrong with him…

“Maybe…we should wait until tomorrow to tell you about that…” she finally said.

Peter’s mouth dropped open in disbelief, and the doctor couldn’t help but chuckle.

“I’m sorry, I’m the worst, I know” she said through her casual laugh. “But it’s important that you’re mentally prepared to handle this information. I don’t want to overload you right now.”

The brunette sighed out. Deep down he knew that Doctor Holmes was right, but he couldn’t help but wonder just what in the hell Venom had done for him to end up in this place. It really was a big mystery to him.

“Try to keep calm and relaxed. And Dave here is gonna take good care of you until we think you’re ready to resume searching for your lost memories again” she announced as the nurse took a step up to the brunette’s bed and smiled.

“If you need anything, just hit me up on this” Dave instructed, pointing to the red button sitting on the side of the bed. Peter looked down, then tilted his head to the side. Why did that look kind of…familiar?

Peter gave the nurse a nod and received a wider smile in return.

“You two seem to have everything handled here. I think I’ll be off then…” the doctor interjected with a smile and a slight nod.

“Thanks…” Peter muttered as the woman held the clipboard up to her chest and turned to the door, but not before stepping up to Dave and whispering something in his ear. Peter couldn’t hear what was said, but the hero mentally told himself not to worry too much about it. Just like the doctor mentioned, the last thing he needed was another stressor.

Once the doctor went on her way and the two males were left alone, the room became awkwardly silent. Peter looked down to his sheets and blushed at his new situation. Now that they were alone, there was something he needed to ask of the other male, yet he was so embarrassed to even think about letting the words slip past his lips. Maybe he could handle it on his own, and yet, he didn’t want to risk hurting himself. And now that the pretty doctor was gone, maybe it wouldn’t be so difficult to ask the nurse his burning question.

“H-hey man, I know it’s kinda weird but can you…?” Peter began, but tensed as his pride got in the way and muffled his words.

“Yes?” the nurse said casually, crossing his arms around his chest.

 “The…the um…can you, uh…help me out with…this thing?” Peter finally managed to say. The hero glanced up to the nurse, who looked as if a question mark would form over his head at any moment.

“I’m sorry, Pete. I promised to help you out, but, you gotta be straight with me” Dave told him with a casual shrug. Peter breathed in and out through his nose, trying to suck up all of his pride and relax. Dave was a nurse. He’s bound to have to deal with things like this on a regular basis…right?

“Please…take the catheter out…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: I'm not a doctor nor a nurse. Comment below~!


	3. Recover

“Don’t get shy on me now” Peter heard Dave say after seeing the nervous brunette pull his thighs shut and grab onto the edge of his hospital bed. The nurse had successfully removed the IV and face mask from the conscious hero, but Peter was especially nervous about his next dilemma. The catheter. Peter could feel his face burn red in embarrassment as he stared across the room at the other man who was busy throwing on a pair of blue medical gloves. Peter flinched, startled by the sound of latex snapping against the nurse’s hands, and very quickly the patient began to stammer.

“Uh…um…I uh…” Peter began as the male began to approach his bedside, his voice shaky and insecure. His anxiety only worsened when the nurse slowly rolled down his sheets and pulled up his paper dress to expose the long, rubber device inserted inside of him. Peter stared wide eyed in disbelief at the foreign object. “…Oh God…this is gonna hurt, isn’t it?”

Dave glanced up at the patient and gave him a reassuring smile before turning his attention back to the device.

“Nah…”

Peter tensed, slightly unsatisfied with the vague response. But it was far too late to change his mind. Before he could say anything, Dave had already wrapped a hand around the base of his cock, his fingers edging towards the tip of the exposed rubber poking out of his penis’ head. Peter groaned and turned his face away from the sight, not wanting to see the process.

But it wasn’t only his fear of pain that worried him so much. It was the humiliation that really got to him. He couldn’t help but feel ashamed for making the male nurse do such a thing to him. Not only that, but it was so embarrassing for a superhero like himself to be put at the mercy of a nurse. To be put in such a vulnerable state of being, it was inconceivable. He didn’t dare think about all of the other things this nurse had to do to care for the brunette when he was in his coma. It was so dishonorable, so disgraceful. And it was all Venom’s fault…

“I’m taking it out now” the nurse announced and Peter held his breath.

The brunette shut his eyes and balled his fist, feeling the long device gradually slide out of his urethra and exit through the tip of his penis. The human groaned in discomfort, not expecting the device to be as long as it had been. But despite all of his noise, the nurse was right. There wasn’t any pain. It was hard to believe, seeing as the thing had been inside of him for three whole weeks.

“There we go…” Dave said serenely, and Peter opened his eyes to see his smiling nurse holding the extracted catheter away from the nervous patient and carrying it over to the silver tray sitting on the dresser. “It didn’t hurt, did it?” the nurse questioned, fiddling with the tubes on the tray as he spoke. Peter promptly shook his head in response, then lowered his eyes.

“Sorry I made you do that” he muttered, and was surprised to hear his nurse chuckle in response.

“You look mortified” Dave noted. After removing his latex gloves, the man returned to Peter’s side to lower his dress and cover him with his sheets again, much to the hero’s relief. “It’s no big deal, Pete. I haven’t been here for a long time, but trust me, I’ve done much worse. Plus you’re my first coma patient. I’ve gotta make a good impression.”

Peter looked up to the other, surprised by the novice’s enthusiasm. Not that being in a coma was something the hero had enjoyed, but it was clear from the nurse’s demeanor that he had been in good hands while he was asleep. After everything that happened to him, at least it was nice to know he was taken care of.

“You are” he said, returning the sweet smile the nurse gave him. “Thank you.”

Dave gave a nod and stepped away from the patient to pick up the tray he had been working with and head toward the door. “If you need anything, just let me know. Okay?” he said as he walked toward the exit.

“Um…well, actually…” Peter quickly interjected, causing the male to stop in his tracks and turn to his patient.

“Did I come in with a cellphone? I need to call my aunt…” She must have been worried sick about him by now…

Dave’s eyes seemed to light up at Peter’s words.

“Oh. You’re talking about your Aunt May, right?”

The brunette’s brown eyes widened at the words. How did he know about her?

“Y-yes!” the hero instantly responded. Dave set the tray back down once again and leaned against the room’s wall.

“She’s probably being contacted now. You know she’s the one who reported you missing?” he explained. “We might not have known your name had she not identified you.”

Peter’s wide eyes gradually lowered to the floor as he heard the nurse’s words. Aunt May…what could she possibly be feeling right now? He could hardly imagine what type of pain he must have caused her when he went missing. Especially now, around the holidays, when she had no one. How could he have left her alone like this?

“She’s been your only visitor, you know. Almost every day, she’s been in here with you” Peter heard the nurse say softly, earning the hero’s eyes again. Had she really been visiting? Her home wasn’t anywhere near this hospital. And in this weather, too…Peter wasn’t sure he liked the idea of her traveling with the conditions as they were. Still…it was nice to know someone was there for him. That someone cared enough to come see him.

“Can I talk to her?” he asked quietly, and the nurse smiled in return.

“I’ll get the phone.”

Dave left for a moment, taking all of his things with him before returning with one of the hospital’s large, wireless landlines.

“She’s on the line…” the nurse quietly said as he handed the phone over to him. Before Peter had a chance to thank him, Dave quickly left the room, giving the two relatives their well-deserved privacy. Peter held the phone in his hand and stared at it, feeling his heart race before he raised the device to his ear and heard the soft sobs whispering from the other end of the line.

“…Aunt May…?”

\-----------------------------------

Peter didn’t know how long he had stayed on the line with his aunt. It broke his heart, hearing her so cry the way she did, and he couldn’t help but sob along with her. There weren’t enough apologies he could possibly give her to make up for all of the pain he’d caused her. From searching for him at his apartment, to going to the police department to report him missing, to identifying him in his state of coma, it was all so painful. It hurt even more to tell her to stay home, rather than catch a bus to the hospital to come and see him. For however long he’d been on the line with her, the bright window in his hospital room became dark as the night muddled out the winter sun. It was late, and the dark streets were nowhere for a woman like her to be. Still, he happily accepted her idea of visiting early the next morning.

“I love you, Peter. I love you so much. I love you…” his aunt repeated over and over again. “Get some rest, sweetheart. Just make sure you’re wide awake when I stop by.”

The brunette couldn’t help but smile.

“I love you, too. And I will” he said quietly. After a long moment of silence between the two relatives, Peter forced himself to hang up the phone and took a long, heavy sigh. Despite all of the pain, he felt a warmth in his heart by his aunt’s words, and by her actions…

…

…

…so where was Wade?

Peter leaned up from his bed and blinked, staring blankly at the room’s wall as he tried to decipher just where in the hell that thought came from. But still he wondered, where exactly was his boyfriend? The hero remembered quite clearly kissing Wade goodbye before he left for a job down in Mexico. Maybe he was too busy…

Then again, that job was a month ago. Plus Wade never took that long on a job. It wasn’t like he had to take time to travel, not with his teleporter that got him places instantaneously. It didn’t make sense for the mercenary to still be working on his job unless something happened after he left. Was he alright?

Peter looked down at his phone, contemplating on whether or not to call him. He was always so busy with his mercenary jobs. Maybe it wouldn’t be a good idea to disturb him. But still. He missed him. He missed his boyfriend so much. How could he not call him and make sure he was okay? And at least update him on the hero’s situation.

Without waiting any longer, the hero dialed the mercenary’s number from memory and put the phone to his ear.

But to his surprise, there was no answer. Instead of ringing, an automatic voice message greeted the hero to inform him that the phone number he had dialed was no longer in service. Peter frowned at the words and looked down at the phone again, ensuring that he put in the correct number. He did. Had Wade forgotten to pay his phone bill?

Peter hung up the phone and sighed. He was probably worried over nothing, but still, how could he not be a little bit concerned about it? The last thing he needed was more stress. And it wasn’t like Wade wouldn’t be okay _eventually_ , right? With his healing factor and all. He always found a way out of the ludicrous situations he put himself in. He’d be alright. He had to be.

The brunette reached down to the side of his bed and pressed the red button. After a moment of waiting, he heard a knock on the door and Dave’s voice calling from the other side of the closed door.

“Peter? Are you okay?” he asked softly. Peter paused before responding, remembering the heartfelt tears that shad streamed down his cheeks just moments ago. He reached up and rubbed his red face, removing any evidence of his emotional reunion with his aunt.

“Yes. Yes, I’m done with the phone” he responded after clearing his throat.

Dave opened the door and stepped inside, then approached the patient once more. From the way he looked down at him, it was clear that the nurse could tell Peter had been crying. “Is she coming to visit?” he asked quietly, taking the phone from him as it was handed over. Peter shook his head in response.

“Not tonight, anyway. But tomorrow morning.” Peter looked up at the nurse. “Can I start filling out the paperwork now, though?”

Dave seemed confused by the patient’s statement, much to the hero’s dismay.

“Paperwork? You’re not talking about your discharge papers, are you?”

Peter frowned at the question, then hesitantly nodded.

“Pete” the nurse began, reaching up to rub the back of his black hair. “You just woke up from a coma. You can’t just leave. There’s testing and rehab and a bunch of other steps you need to go through before you can be discharged.”

Peter felt his jaw drop at the news. Steps? There were steps?

“But…but…” he began, completely blindsided by the news. The last thing he expected was to have to stay in this place any longer than this. To stay in this bed he had been sleeping in for three weeks…there was no way.

“…I can’t stay. My aunt, and…I can’t afford rehab…I can’t…”

“Actually, you can” the nurse interjected, a small smirk sliding across his face. Peter blinked at the words, then breathed out, suddenly remembering the doctor’s words. That’s right. Someone had paid for him in advance.

“It wasn’t my aunt, was it? That paid for me?” God, he wouldn’t know what he’d do with himself if aunt pulled money out of her savings for him. Fortunately, Dave confidently shook his head at the question.

“Then who?” Peter continued on. Who else would be able to pay off something like a hospital bill? And for Peter, no less. Could it have been Wade? Since his phone bill hadn’t been paid, he didn’t think the mercenary would be able to afford this...

“You’re not supposed to be worrying about that” the nurse interrupted the male’s pondering. Peter watched as Dave walked around his bed and to his dark window. He stood there for a moment, examining the sleeping city before reaching up to click the window’s locks shut and pull the blinds down. “You need to rest that brain of yours. You’ll be discharged when you’re fit and healthy and stable. All good things come to those who wait.”

Peter sighed out heavily. “Thanks Ms. Fane” he responded quietly with a sigh. Dave whipped his head around, his confused face making the hero smile in return.

“Violet Fane. She came up with that. About waiting” he explained. “She’s my favorite poet…”

Dave let out a scoff, then walked over to return to his patient’s side. “Ugh. Go to bed, you nerd” Dave playfully responded, reaching over to the room’s light switch and flicking it downwards, submerging them both in darkness, the light of the hallway and glow of green spikes from his heart monitor illuminating the smiles the two males shared with one another.

“Is the bed okay?” the nurse asked softly. Peter nodded, quite comfortable. Dave nodded in return, keeping the smile on his face as he leaned away from the patient and stepped over to the well-lit exit.

“Try to get some rest, alright?” he said, almost out the door before Peter called out to him once more.

“Dave?”

The nurse turned as he stood in the doorway, his face no longer visible against the brightness of the hall behind him.

“Yeah, Pete?” the shadow responded back. Peter lowered his eyes to the man’s feet, fearful of the response he’d get to his vital question. But he needed to know. He needed an answer.

“…you think I’ll ever get my memories back?”

Dave didn’t answer immediately. Instead he stood there in complete silence, as if in deep thought about how to answer his patient’s question with political correctness. It bothered the hero to think that the man that had been caring for him throughout his ordeal couldn’t be honest with him.

But despite his concerns, the nurse’s next words surprised the worrisome hero.

“It’s only a matter of time before everything comes to light” he told him softly. “When you’re ready to know the truth about what happened to you, it’ll come. But only in time.”

Peter laid there for a moment, letting the surprisingly philosophical response settle in his mind. He was right. No matter how badly he wanted to know what had happened, he couldn’t force himself to figure it out until his mind was ready to give it to him. He had to wait.

“Thank you” Peter responded back quietly. “Thanks for everything.”

“Don’t mention it.” With his face out of the picture, Peter couldn’t help but notice how strained the nurse’s voice seemed. Perhaps he was exhausted. It would be understandable, seeing as he worked as late as he was.

The nurse stepped into the bright hallway, revealing a small smile and a wave of the hand.

“Goodnight” he told his patient, slowly closing the door and immersing the hero into the lonely darkness of his hospital room.

“Night…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reader ‘不辣酱’ asked me about Aunt May, and I told him/her that I probably wasn’t going to be mentioning her in the story. Well, as it turns out, I found that I’d written myself into a hole and needed Aunt May to pull me out.  
> So, thanks 不辣酱 for the idea! And thanks to all of you guys who read and shared your thoughts!
> 
> Don't forget to comment~!
> 
> (Also, I know I've been updating pretty quickly, but that may change in the future. Just a heads up)


	4. Incubus

Peter had no idea how long he’d been staring at the hospital ceiling, but he had been doing so since his nurse had left him alone for the night. He could feel his exhausted body yearning to relax, to rest, but a deep seeded fear kept the hero from doing so. There were so many questions he wanted answered, so many mysteries surrounding how he came to be here. But no matter how hard he thought back, no matter how long he laid there trying to put his scrambled mind back together, the puzzle simply wouldn’t connect. He simply couldn’t remember.

And then there was the question of what happened to his boyfriend. As much as he wanted to not worry about Wade and his wellbeing, some things simply weren’t making any sense. Where could he possibly be? And why wasn’t he there when Peter needed him most? Why was he never there when…?

Peter forced himself to take a deep breath, feeling his nerves beginning to flare. This wasn’t the time to get riled up. It wasn’t important. No, not now. What was important was his rest. He needed rest.

But. What happened if he fell asleep again? He didn’t know what had put him in here, after all. What if he fell asleep and didn’t wake up in the morning? As irrational as it sounded, Peter couldn’t help but fear that falling asleep would put him back in a coma again, and it scared him.

Fortunately, that didn’t really seem to be the case. And Nurse Dave and Doctor Holmes didn’t seem to voice any concerns about the possibility of him slipping back into a coma, though Peter had a feeling there were certain things they were keeping from the patient. Still, Peter didn’t want to speculate on any negative outcomes he could suffer. He just wanted to rest his mind and go to sleep, just like he had been instructed to do.

So after taking a deep breath and calming his frazzled mind, the hero closed his eyes and forced himself to go to try and sleep. Fortunately, the task wasn’t very difficult. Despite the repetitive and slightly annoying beeping of his heart monitor, the room was quite calm. It didn’t take any longer than ten minutes before the hero drifted off to sleep, allowing his body to sink deeper into the comfort of the soft bed underneath him.

But that comfort didn’t seem to last. It didn’t feel like the hero had slept for very long before a pressure against his chest forced him out of his peaceful slumber. Peter slowly cracked his eyes open and stared at the black ceiling, feeling the weight against his chest grow with each passing second. Peter furrowed his brow, feeling a strange heat gradually igniting against him that accompanied the pressure. What the hell was that? Was he having a heart attack? According to the rhythmic beeping of his heart monitor, no. His calm and tranquil heart was perfectly fine. So, what the hell was this feeling?

Peter reached up to clutch his chest, only to have his fingers bump into something very warm, and very foreign. Whatever it was, it definitely wasn’t there when he fell asleep. His eyes still fixed on the pitch black ceiling, Peter let his fingers explore the object resting on his chest, running the tips over the warm and smooth surface. The texture felt so soft, so familiar, almost like it was…skin…?

Peter’s lips twisted down into a frown. Now that he thought about it, it felt a lot like skin. Was someone leaning on him? In the dark?

“…hey…” Peter said quietly, his assertive tone muddled by his cracked and groggy voice. And just like that, the pressure dissipated. The hero leaned up from the comfort of his soft pillow and looked around, his eyes scanning the dark room for the culprit. His tired eyes barely spotted the odd shadow sitting at the foot of his bed, the top of its head the only thing visible as it poorly attempted to hide from the conscious patient. The hero sat up from his bed, trying to get a better view, and earned a shocked gasp from the stranger.

“…don’t think I don’t see you there” he said, reaching up and rubbing his tired eyes, hoping it would help him see through the darkness. “Who are you? What the hell are you doing?”

Peter paused, his mind still half asleep as he impatiently waited for an answer, and huffed when he didn’t receive on. The hero opened his mouth, ready to demand answers again when he was silenced by a gust of cold air that ran through his hospital room. Peter reached up and rubbed his exposed arms before glancing over to the room’s only window. The blinds were closed, but the way they shifted and rattled as each gust of air blew into the small space forced the human to conclude that the window had been opened.

“Did you open…?” Peter began to ask, turning his head to face the shadow when a disturbing sight stole his voice.

While distracted with the open window, he hadn’t notice the shadow had moved closer, its body crouched down by his side. Peter stilled at the sight, suddenly noticing the pair of white eyes that seemed to beam through the darkness that surrounded them. Peter stared back, petrified. He couldn’t keep his eyes off of them. This person, this thing, it wasn’t human. It wasn’t human at all.

Suddenly the hero wondered if he was even awake, or if he was stuck in some sort of nightmare. But he had felt it on him, its body resting against him, touching him. There was no way this could possibly be a dream. There really was something in here with him, physically with him, a demon, a monster, and Peter couldn’t help but let out a fearful whimper. He wanted to get away, he needed to but, his body wouldn’t listen to him. He was frozen in fear.

“…mate…?” he could hear it whisper, and Peter frowned. Before he could try to decode what the shadow meant, he flinched back, watching as a long fingered hand reached out and touched his cheek, feeling its claws run against his soft skin.

“Get…get away from me!” he warned, physically leaning his body as far away as his bed would allow. But he couldn’t go far, not without pulling the heart monitor along with him. But he didn’t care. Peter hadn’t attempted to get out of bed all day, his legs where probably weak and atrophic, but that wouldn’t stop him from trying to get away from this…this monster.

“Oh mate… our mate….” It whispered, continuing to stare at the fearful male as the patient yanked the covers from his body and threw his legs over the opposite side of the bed. Peter kept his eyes on the creature as he moved, watching as it tilted its head as if pondering the male’s intentions.

And then it stood.

Peter also managed to get up on his own feet, putting most of his weight on the bed. But as he watched the shadow stand along with him, he nearly lost his balance. With it being crouched down on the floor, Peter hadn’t realized how big this thing really was. And it continued to grow, its height increasing dramatically, not stopping until its head reached the top of the dark ceiling, the monster standing at least ten feet tall in the much smaller space. Whether it was from his weakness or his fear, Peter’s knees began to shake uncontrollably.

Finally his legs couldn’t take it any longer, and they gave out. Peter grimaced, feeling the sticky patches against his chest pull away as the wires connected to his heart monitor broke off from his skin. But despite his weak knees giving out, he didn’t fall. Before he could hit the ground, he felt something reach under his armpits and hold him up.

“Careful Sssspidey…” the shadow warned, holding the patient up with its hands, and Peter’s eyes widened.

 That…that hissing, that strange, unique speech impediment…He recognized it! And it could only be from one person…one creature…

“Venom…” he whispered, and his body stiffened when it scoffed at the name and gave the human a large, sharp tooth grin. God, those teeth…he couldn’t help but notice the small, subtle changes within the creature’s face, but still, those teeth were the same teeth from his hazy memory…

Things only got worse for the hero when the creature raised the weak human from the floor and pulled him over the top of the bed, much to the hero’s dismay.

“W-wha…?” Peter croaked out, only to be silenced when the shadow pulled him forward and pressed the smaller male into its much larger chest, its heat suffocating the chilly human, the tight grasp pushing the air out of his lungs and making him gasp. It was holding him so tightly, it hurt the fragile male so much, as if his bones were slowly being crushed under the monster’s pressure. Peter let out a quiet whimper, but was only answered with a hot, sticky appendage that ran from the top of his temple to the bottom of his throat. Before the hero could complain about the disgusting residue left on his face, he was silenced when the creature’s face pressed against his, its mouth smashing against his own, its tongue tasting the outline of his lips. What the hell? Was it _kissing_ him? Peter shuttered at the strange, wet touch, and quickly resumed his struggling as the shadow’s hands tightened his hold even more. But it didn’t seem to have an effect on the stronger, more powerful being.

 “We’re sssso sssorry. Our poor mate…” Peter heard it mutter after the strange kiss was broken, feeling it gently nuzzle the top of his hectic and unkempt hair. Peter clenched his teeth at the gentle words. Its apology sounded so guilty, so upset, but why? The only reason someone would apologize is if they had done something. It seemed as though Peter’s suspicions were spot on. This thing really _had_ done something to him, after all…

“What the hell…did you do to me…you asshole?” Peter struggled to growl out, pressing his palms against this animal’s large chest in another fruitless effort to get away. The creature didn’t answer, not with words anyway. Instead, Peter felt the shadow’s chest rise and fall as it let out a heavy sigh and a quiet whine.

“What the hell did you do!?!” Peter repeated loudly. “Tell me! Tell me, dammit!”

But the creature refused to answer the question. It only whimpered and moaned, keeping its bright eyes away from the hero’s. “We’re ssssorry, Ssspidey. We’re sssorry” it continued to repeat over and over again, much to the human’s dissatisfaction. But before he could voice his opinion, he tensed, watching as the creature walked around the bed, the human securely pressed against his body like a newborn. His bare feet dangled helplessly from the floor as it moved, continuing its spree of apologies.

“We’re sssorry, mate” the creature spouted. “We will make it better. We promissse…” it quietly vowed, slowly making its way across the room. Peter continued to struggle, trying to make sense of what this creature was trying to do when he noticed where it was headed. The hero’s eyes grew wide and panicked as he looked to the window, and then back up to the kidnapper, watching on as it shyly looked down and smiled at him with that large, toothy grin of its.

And at that, the hero’s struggling became violent. His arms and legs thrashed wildly against his captor, hitting its larger body using whatever strength he had in left in reserves, but there was hardly any reaction from it. “Let me go!” the hero demanded, but was ignored. Neither words nor the assault seemed to stop this thing. Its body seemed impenetrable against the human’s pathetically feeble assault, but one well aimed swipe of his fist against the creature’s left eye seemed to be enough to make the shadow pause in its tracks and hiss in pain.

Distracted by the discomfort in its eye, the creature loosened its grasp against the human’s body just enough for Peter to wiggle his way from out of its arms and fall to the cold, tile floor below with a quiet thud. Peter groaned, disoriented in the darkness by his pained backside, but quickly rolled up to his hands and knees and crawled away to the one source of light in the room he recognized: the door.

“Sssspidey…!” the male heard the creature calling from above, but Peter didn’t dare turn around and look to see what it wanted. He stumbled towards the door, his feet failing to gain any traction on the slippery tile, before extending his hand up to the metal doorknob and twisting it open.

Peter stumbled out of the black room and into the blinding light of the hallway. Gasps and startled yelps surrounded him as he scrambled to a stand, his eyes unable to see his environment around him. And still he ran. The hero blinked rapidly, sprinting across the cold floor as he attempted to put distance between him and that, thing, in his room.

But he didn’t get far.

The hero managed to sprint only a few yards down the hallway before a hand wrapped around the top of his arm and yanked him to a halt. Peter instantly struggled at the stranger’s touch, fearing he’d been captured again by his attacker.

“Get off me…!” the hero demanded, reaching up and desperately pulling on the grasp that held him in place. “Get off!”

“…Peter!” a frantic voice called out in return, a familiar voice, a gentle and kind voice, and the patient’s struggling slowed. Peter could hear his own distressed panting as he blinked his sensitive eyes, his retinas gradually adjusting to the bright hospital lights above before the silhouette of his young nurse came into sight. It was…Dave. Peter’s blurred vision quickly clarified, his wide eyes staring back at the concerned expression the nurse gave him. He looked so worried about the patient, so confused.

But none of that mattered now.

Peter took a step back from the man, trying to get free of the other’s tight grasp. He couldn’t sit there and explain himself, not with that, thing, trying to take him away. Peter looked behind his shoulder, staring at the hospital room he had just escaped from, his wide eyes locked on the shadow that hid behind the darkness he’d left behind, the white, ominous eyes gazing at the whimpering human.

“…let me go” Peter whined, his brown eyes slowly beginning to tear as the shadow refused to go away. It was going to come for him, Peter knew it, and as long as Dave held onto him this way, there was nothing he could do to escape.

So Peter’s struggling became a little more aggressive, the patient thrashing his arms away from the nurse who refused to let him go.

“Peter, what the hell’s wrong with you!?” Dave shouted when the hero struggled free of one of his hands.

“I…I can’t…it’s coming…it’s gonna…”

Peter didn’t finish his garbled sentence before he managed to rip free of Dave’s hold entirely. Peter continued running, dodging the worried nurse’s hands that attempted to grab at him again as he searched for an exit. He didn’t look behind him, he didn’t dare make eye contact with the doctors and nurses that watched in horror at the male’s bizarre actions. He only continued to run. Peter could hear Dave shouting something, and the footsteps that quickly followed behind.

But he was already by the exit.

Peter busted through the double doors that lead to the waiting room, ignoring the symphony of gasps and shouts as he whipped his head around the room in search of stairs. They were impossible to find, there were so many doors. But the next best thing was in clear view: the elevator.

“Peter, stop!” he heard Dave calling from behind. Peter turned, seeing the man burst through the doors behind him, followed by a hoard of other nurses. The patient tensed, spotting the long, indescribably sharp needle held between Dave’s fingers, his eyes locked intently on the defiant patient, and Peter panicked.

Without much of a choice, the hero bolted toward the elevator, the parade of nurses quick to follow behind. But he’d never make it. Before the hero could even press the button to call the elevator, an unfamiliar male nurse had reached out and wrapped around the patient’s shoulders, his hold so tight that the hero couldn’t help but flinch in discomfort.

The nurses surrounded the captured male, blocking Peter’s view of the elevator with their bodies. Through the wave of nurses, Dave stepped forward, his concerned eyes locked on Peter’s fearful ones. “Don’t hurt him” he instructed the other nurse as he continued to approach, poorly attempting to hide the large needle he held behind his back.

“Please…” Peter desperately begged, feeling his eyes sting as salt water blurred his vision. “I can’t…it’s coming…it’s in there!”

“Nothing’s here. It’s just us, Pete” Dave insisted, only to have Peter shake his head in response. “It was a bad dream-”

“You don’t understand!” the patient interrupted, continuing his struggling and whining, trying to free himself from the other’s hold, but it was useless. Before he could say anything else, he winced, feeling his hospital gown lift from behind, followed by a tight pain on the top of the left side of his ass. Peter looked up, spotting his nurse withdraw the empty needle away from his skin and give a sheepish smile.

“Wha…what…?”

“It was just a dream, Pete. A really bad dream, but you’re safe now.”

“N-no…it wasn’t a…” he wanted to retort back, yet the reply was quiet and delayed. His words were muddled and incoherent, he couldn’t even understand himself. Suddenly his body felt weak and uncontrolled as he sagged against the nurse that held onto him, no longer able to hold himself up on his own. Peter slurred out an incoherent plea to stop, only to have Dave reach out and brushed the long hair from his saliva stricken face, frowning when the hero let out a quiet, contemptible whine.

The man tried to keep a smile on his face as he leaned forward, his lips inches away from his ear before he whispered, “I’m not gonna let that thing hurt you…”

Peter’s weak eyes widened, appalled by the nurse’s words, and what might have meant. Did…did Dave know something about…?

Peter groaned, feeling his world begin to spin around him. The hero groaned again, his eyelids too heavy to keep open, his body too tired to struggle. The drugs, whatever Dave had put inside of him, was quickly beginning to take effect. Before he knew it, his knees gave out on him, forcing the nurse that held him to reach under the male and hold the patient up in his arms. His head drooped forward and back, trying to stay away, trying to stay coherent and alert, but it was impossible. He could do nothing as his consciousness slipped away, no way he could defend himself against the onslaught he’d certainly face once he returned to his hospital room.

Peter huffed, feeling a stripe of salt water fall down the side of his face. He was so scared…

“Pete…” he heard the nurse mutter, feeling his consciousness slowly slip away, taking in the last words he’d hear for the night.

“It’s okay. Just relax. You’re safe. I promise…”

 


	5. Relive

The quiet bustling of the city paired with the harsh blow of wind against his window was what greeted Peter when he finally gained consciousness again. His room was so bright, the late morning sun igniting the white paint on his hospital room’s walls and burning his retinas as he parted his heavy eyelids. He felt sick, his body was so heavy, and at first he didn’t understand why. At first. But as he laid there, tucked under the weight of his heavy sheets, his body immersed into the soft, comfortable mattress, his memories from the night before slowly returned to him and sparked an angry growl to form in his throat.

Peter quickly leaned up from the comfort of his pillow and scanned his room. With it being so bright, it was quite clear that his visitor from last night was no longer there. Which was the only good news. As he looked around the small space, his eyes landed on the innocent window on the other side of the room, the open blinds doing nothing to hide the inconspicuous crack that ran through the middle of it.

There was no denying it. The nurses and doctors from last night probably thought the coma patient was hallucinating, but at least Peter could confidently say that something really did happen to him. He wasn’t making it up. He wasn’t crazy. Venom, of all of his villains, had come to visit him the hospital.

Peter quickly leaned back down and covered his body with the comforter, a cold chill running down the human’s spine and making him shiver. There weren’t a lot of villains that could make him feel this way, so vulnerable and distrusting of himself and his senses, but Venom was different. He knew Venom before it was what it was. And Venom knew him. Well. At least, Eddie did anyway. The suit might have taken his power and his senses, but Eddie took everything else…

Was there anything left of that guy under all of that symbiote? Based on all of the events that took place the night before, yes. Why else would it go out of its way to see him? Why would it lay on his chest the way it did? Why would it cry? This behavior, it was nothing like the Venom he knew before. Had something changed?

Peter sighed. What did it matter if it changed? The hero could remember it grabbing him and nearly crushing him to death, trying to take him over to the window to probably throw him out of it. It was dangerous. It was vengeful, spiteful demon from beyond the stars who thought of nothing but its host and itself.

But then there was that kiss…

Peter cringed, as if he could still taste its thick saliva in his mouth as that thing stuffed its large tongue down his much smaller throat. Venom had done a lot of things to him since they first, mostly fighting, but never did Venom give the hero a kiss. A strangely familiar kiss, nonetheless, as if he’d been kissed by it before.

The hero instantly shook his head, not wanting to think about what would have happened had he not woken up in time. Or at all. He was in a coma just hours ago. He was probably alone most of the time. With that window. Was it possible that, perhaps, this had not been the first time Venom had…?

Peter rolled over to the side, his body facing the window, and he pulled his knees up to his chest. He needed to think. He needed to understand what Venom was plotting, and how the hell he was going to stop it. But he couldn’t. Just as he had rolled over to his side, something rather unexpected stole his attention away from his current objective.

The patient rolled back over to his back again, feeling something shift between his thighs as he moved. It was cool, sort of sticky, too, and the hero furrowed his brow. Curious, the hero leaned his head up and raised his blankets, letting the light flood through the darkness. From there, Peter could see what was down there.

It was that damn catheter again. Expect it wasn’t inside of him. It was just…sitting there, wet and slimy as it stained the bedsheets beneath it. The hero cringed. That liquid, it had gotten all over his gown, too. And now that he was looking for it, Peter could see that it had gotten pretty much everywhere on his lap. What the hell was it? Pee?

Disgusted, yet still curious, the hero reached down and ran his fingers over the strange wetness resting on his lap and dripped down his inner thigh. When he raised his hand again, Peter cringed, examining the glaze of liquid residue greased over the once clean appendage. From what the human could tell, it wasn’t his pee. Thank God. It was like water but, stickier, smellier…what the hell was this? Still curious, the male raised his sticky fingers to his face and sniffed, his eyes instantly widened. This smell, this odd substance. He recognized it! It was from the night before, after his late night visitor left a streak of saliva across his face. It couldn’t be anything else.

This was drool. Venom’s drool.

Peter stared at his wet fingers, his body shuttering in shock and disbelief. Why was Venom’s drool between his legs? It wasn’t like he couldn’t put two and two together. Deep down, he understood what all of this must have meant. But the very thought of Venom doing it. There were no reasons for it to do something so, out of character. So intimate. There were no bite marks from its sharp teeth, he didn’t feel any pain or discomfort. It was just its drool. And yet, it still horrified him. Just the idea of Venom hovering over his unconscious body, pulling his covers down to his knees and…

Peter shuttered, visualizing the disturbing sight, and shut his eyes, trying to burn it from his memories. It was simply so disgusting, so bizarre to even think about. But there was no other explanation for this. After he’d been put to sleep, that thing must have come back to his room in the middle of the night and…and…

“God…oh my God…”

Peter gagged and covered his mouth with his clean hand, his churning stomach threatening the throw up whatever might have been in his guts. He was sick, literally turning ill as he thought about the creature being here again without him knowing it. Without him seeing it. Without him realizing what was happening. It was sickening, scary, and Peter simply couldn’t handle it all.

Before he knew what was happening, Peter went into a blank-minded frenzy. His wide eyes stared at his bedsheets sheets as he used the fabric to rub his skin free of the sticky mess on his hands and on his thighs, scrubbing his body so hard that he could feel the heat beginning to emanate from his aggravated skin. But the smell was so strong, it wouldn’t go away, it was so prevalent, as if it were marked on his skin, as if it were permanently infused with his natural scent.

“…no…” Peter choked out, feeling his face begin to burn red in what could only be described as confused rage. It didn’t make any sense. None of this made any sense! Clearly Venom hand drooled and licked on and around his cock. The rest of his body was dry, the catheter was out, the creature clearly was aiming for his penis. But why? Maybe it was some sort of sick, demented way of humiliating him. Venom enjoyed doing strange things like that, but to go this far? It was sick! God, the only thing he prayed was that the creature hadn’t made him come. There was no humiliation greater than climaxing in front of one of your worst enemies…

A harsh, wet sob suddenly left the hero’s throat before he quickly quieted himself back down, not wanting to catch any more attention from these nurses. But he was so embarrassed, so humiliated, so ashamed of himself. How could he be this weak? To let a villain do such a thing to him, it was disgraceful…

Peter gritted his teeth as water began to stream down his red eyes, suddenly remembering the words of his not so trustworthy nurse the night before, and he cursed. For Venom to do this was one thing, but clearly there was much more going on in this place. Peter’s initial suspicions were right, these doctors, these nurses, they had awful secrets they had been keeping from their patient, and Peter was going to get to the bottom of this. All of his.

After rubbing his face clear of his tears and taking a hold of his emotions, the hero reached down to his bed frame and pressed the red call button there. And then he waited. Whether he caused a scene again or not, Dave was going to explain everything to him. No matter what it took.

It took a while for someone to respond, much longer than usual, before a female nurse knocked on the door and made her way in. Peter blinked at the sight, not recognizing the woman. He’d never seen her around before, he was sure; he definitely would have remembered her long, messy brown hair, loud, polka-dotted scrubs and those thick binoculars obscuring her eyes. No, she was definitely not one of the nurses that chased him last night.

“Morning. Did you need something, sir?” she politely asked, standing in the doorway, hopefully far enough to avoid smelling the saliva scented sheets the patient was covered in.

“Um, sorry. Is Dave around? Nurse Dave?”

The nurse paused, then looked down to her wrist watch before humming musingly.

“Well, it’s 11 now. And I normally see him around noon time, so he should be here soon.”

Peter nodded at the news and looked down to his sheets again. Well, at least he’d have time to sort out his words before Dave’s shift started.

“Was there something you needed? Oh, and, how are you feeling, by the way? I heard you had a hell of a night” the woman noted, leaning her shoulder against the doorframe and casually crossing her arms.

“I’m…okay…” Even Peter didn’t believe his hesitant answer. And whether the nurse didn’t notice or was simply being polite, she didn’t mention the patient’s dishonest response before continuing her informal questioning.

“No more bad dreams?” she quietly asked. Peter shook his head in return, noting how word seemed to spread quickly throughout this hospital. So, they all still thought he had a bad dream…fine. It probably wouldn’t hurt his chances of leaving out of this place early if he played along. Nut jobs don’t leave the crazy house on their own free will, after all…

“I’m sorry, about last night” the patient slowly began, keeping his lying eyes to the floor. “I know I caused a lot of trouble. The dream was just so, realistic, you know? Anyhow, that’s not an excuse for fighting you guys, I didn’t know what I was doing…”

Peter went quiet when the nurse raised a finger to her lips and shook her head.

“Don’t apologize for anything. You just woke out of a coma, there’s a lot on your mind. Don’t even worry about it” she insisted, giving the patient a gentle smile to show how genuine she was. The hero looked up and smiled back. Despite everything that happened between him and the other nurses, this one seemed really nice. And yet, Peter couldn’t help but wonder what secrets she might be holding back from the hero. What if she knew it was more than just a dream? What if this innocent persona this woman was presenting to him was nothing more than a lie? Who could he trust?

“Are you hungry, by the way?” the woman suddenly mentioned, and almost instantly the male’s stomach began to rumble. Peter raised his hand to his stomach and nodded.

“Yeah” was all he said, still keeping up the most realistic smile he could conjure up. The woman leaned up from the doorframe and took a step back into the hallway.

“I’ll get your breakfast. You eat meat, right? Sausage? Eggs?”

Peter nodded, then watched as the woman shut the door and went in in search of the patient’s breakfast. Hopefully it would be good, he felt like he hadn’t eaten anything in so long…

At least while she was gone, Peter could preoccupy himself with coming up with a list of questions he needed to ask his primary caregiver. So once the door had closed and he was alone again, the hero laid back and stared at the white ceiling above, trying to figure out what he needed to say to his shady nurse.

Dave clearly knew something about this allusive visitor. How he did, Peter was unsure, but he must have known about it long before yesterday. At least, that’s the way Dave made it seem.

Another shutter ran down the hero’s spine, suspecting that last night wasn’t the first time that Venom had come to visit him…wasn’t the first time that thing had _touched_ him this way.

Which was just another reason why Peter couldn’t stay another night.

To hell with the rehab and the bloodwork, he wouldn’t dare stay in this room another night and wait for that thing to arrive again. He had to get back to his apartment and put the rest of the pieces of his missing memory back together, figure out what the hell that monster was doing in his room, and what it did to put him in this place.

Before he could finish his thoughts, another knock on the door stole his attention and he glanced across the room. The door opened and Peter watched as the female nurse returned, this time pushing a small, metal cart that carried a tray of food. The hero’s mouth salivated at the sight.

Pancakes. God, when was the last time he got to eat those? They were accompanied by eggs and sausage and orange juice, all of Peter’s favorite breakfast foods, and he couldn’t stop the genuine smile that slid across his face. After all the crap the hero had been dealing with, it was nice to be served a warm, in bed breakfast…

“I thought your first meal should be special. I had to pull a few strings, but, hey, after last night I think you deserve it.”

The woman pushed the cart over to the side of the patient’s bed, and Peter stiffened, suddenly remembering the sickening smell of saliva that was still on his sheets. Fortunately, the woman didn’t seem to notice this, as she carefully placed the tray on the patient’s lap before pushing the cart back toward the door.

“Thanks” Peter called out to her as she left, smiling as she waved goodbye to him.

“Call me if you need me” she quietly instructed before disappearing behind the hospital door and leaving the hero with his privacy once more. Peter looked down at his food and grabbed the plastic fork and knife. At least breakfast will help keep his mind off of the terrors he’d dealt with the night before.

But, with the food came a new anxiety.

Peter was hungry, he could feel his stomach twisting and rumbling in his belly and yet, why did the sight of his food make him feel sick? Especially the pancakes. They looked delicious, the steam springing from the fluffy cakes danced around his nose and made his stomach growl in anticipation, but, he couldn’t eat them. There was just so much uncertainty surrounding the food, so much distrust, and the hero didn’t understand why. Suddenly, his wet, salivating mouth turned dry the longer he stared at his meal, his stomach twisting not from hunger but from his lost appetite. Maybe it was the creature’s smell from between his thighs, or perhaps he was sick. But whatever it was, Peter wasn’t eating.

The hero grabbed the tray and placed it on the dresser beside him and sighed.

“…the hell’s wrong with me?” he muttered to himself, rolling onto his side away from his food and facing the window across the room. Ignoring the numerous smells surrounding his room, Peter shut his eyes and waited for his body to fall asleep again. It was the only thing he could do, really. With his body weak from hunger and his mind refusing to eat, he wasn’t feeling well. Hopefully more rest would make him feel a little better…

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------

…But his rest wouldn’t last for long.

Just as the hero’s illness seemed to fade away as his consciousness left him, he was quickly interrupted by a hand gently shaking his shoulders and an irritatingly familiar voice calling out his name. Peter reluctantly cracked his eyes open, staring at the wall in front of him as Dave released his shoulder and sighed out in relief.

“Jeez. You had me worried. I thought you’d…you know…”

Peter blinked, feeling his brow furrow.

“…what? Fallen into a coma again? Sorry to disappoint…” he rebutted quietly before rolling over to his back and glancing up at the nurse who stood beside him. Dave looked as he did the night before, purple scrubs, black hair that covered the majority of his face, though there was one subtle difference. He didn’t seem, zealous. In fact, he looked just the opposite. Through the nurse’s hair, Peter could see the other’s eyes shift from side to side, as if too embarrassed to look at the patient. The hero leaned up from his bed on his elbows, noticing the other’s fidgeting hands grab on the sides of his scrubs. He looked, tense.

“That’s…not what I meant, Pete” he sighed out, taking a step back from the patient and crossing his arms. The room was quiet after that. Peter watched him, the room’s awkward silence not bothering him in the slightest. As the patient examined his nurse, it was quite clear that the other had secrets. His fingers grasped the purple scrubs on his arms as he tightened the cross around his chest, his body shifting as it failed to stay in one place, his eyes never finding a fixed place to stare. Yes, it was all so obvious now.

“How are you doing?” Dave finally asked, only to have the patient scoff in return.

“You stabbed a needle in my butt.”

Peter didn’t think it was possible, but Dave seemed to tense even more at the response.

“…I did” he admitted quietly before taking a step forward again and resting his hands on the side of Peter’s hospital bed, glancing up to Peter’s eyes to give a silent apology. “I had to calm you down. You scared a lot of people, Pete. Myself included…”

“I was scared, too…” Peter sharply responded, feeling his eyes narrow as the pressure of his clenched teeth caused his jaw bones to flex against the side of his cheeks. “And you didn’t even care.”

“That’s not true, Pete-” Dave tried to refute, but was interrupted by the irritated patient.

“Then why’d you drug me!? Why’d you put me back in this room, with that…that…window…” he began, trailing off as he turned to look at the sun rays that entered through the window’s glass. The window…The window that the creature had come through…

“It might…still be out there…” the patient whispered. He hadn’t even considered the fact that the creature could still be around the building, sitting against the brick behind his white walls, _listening_ …

“No.”

Peter quickly turned to Dave again, his aggressive eyes turned dismal, before reaching out with his hands and grabbing onto the middle of the nurse’s purple scrubs.

“N-no, seriously. It might still be out there! It knows I’m here, it could be watching me right now-!”

Dave reached up to hold onto the other’s hands, shaking his head slowly as he informed the patient, “It doesn’t come in the middle of the day.”

Peter blinked at the softly spoken words, finding solace in hearing them before realizing everything that it meant. The hero tightened his grasp against the other’s shirt before pushing the nurse back and ripping his hands away, pulling free of the other’s touch. The hero reached up and rubbed his arms, trying to comfort himself as he attempted to keep his mind under control, needing to be prepared for the response to his next question.

“How the hell would you know something like that?”

Dave didn’t answer the hero’s question immediately, but the patient could practically hear the nurse’s raging thoughts run through his mind. From his peripherals, Peter watched as Dave shifted his stance once more, folding his fidgety hands in front of him before lowering his head and staring at his feet. And then. Finally, it gave his patient answer he didn’t want to hear.

“Because…I’ve watched you since you first got here. And I know its pattern” he quietly said. “It only comes at night, so…you’re safe…”

“Safe!?” the hero instantly barked back. So it was true. Everything Peter suspected was true. The hero reached up and grasped his chest, ripping away the heart monitor patches before the spikes on the screen got out of hand.

“How many times has that thing been in here, huh?” he hissed, tossing the patches to the floor. “How many times did you let that thing come in here and…and, _molest_ me!?”

Peter cringed as he spoke, the words sour as they left his lips. Dave reacted to the words too, reaching out to take hold of the other’s shoulders, the grasp so strong that Peter couldn’t help but flinch. The hero glared at the nurse, staring back into the other’s beseeching eyes.

“Peter, listen to me” Dave slowly said, his words gentle but sterner than the hero had ever heard. “I would never… _ever_ …want something like that to-”

But Peter wouldn’t hear it.

“You’re lying!” he interrupted, covering his reddening face with his hands, feeling a tremble of disgust run through his body. “You wanted this…you…you put me to sleep and then you let come in here and touch me…”

Peter’s voice trailed off into a choking sob and he turned his covered face away, turning his body to give his back to him, no longer strong enough to stomach being in the same room as his deceitful nurse. Last night clearly wasn’t the first time Venom had come to visit. He couldn’t imagine the types of things it did to him while he was in a coma, and for the nurse to just let it happen…? It was sick. He was a fool to think Dave was honest, to put his entire wellbeing in his hands, to trust him. And it was all becoming far too much for the hero to bear. He’d been put into a coma, drugged by his nurse, ignored by his boyfriend, stalked by a monster, and it was making him lose himself. He could feel his sanity leak from his eyes as the tears flowed freely into his palms. For once in his new life as a hero, Peter felt empty. Broken. Powerless…

“…it came back…?” Peter could hear Dave faintly say from behind him through his rough sobs and pitiful whining, but he didn’t answer. He only reached down and lowered sheets from his hips to his knees, letting the sight of the sticky mess between his thighs speak for him.

Peter heard Dave gasp, but the hero only continued to cry. Not that it made sense as to why the nurse was so shocked. It’s not like something like this was surprising to him. After all, it happened enough times for Dave to know its regular schedule.

The hero suddenly tensed, feeling something touch on the top of his head. Peter peaked up from the palms of his hand to see Dave standing in front of him, the nurse having walked around the hospital bed in order to face him. Before Peter could snap at the nurse for touching him, he gasped, his cheek suddenly pressed against the nurse’s soft shirt, the other’s hands holding the back of his head to keep him in place.

As much as the move was startling and slightly irritating to the hero, he didn’t fight back from it. Deep down, he didn’t want to fight. No. Not with Dave. Not with his only friend. Well. The closest thing he had to a friend, anyway. Despite all of the disgusting things he’d let the monster do to him, at least he appeared to care. At least he was there for him. At least he gave him attention…

“Peter, listen to me” the nurse said softly, gently caressing the patient’s hair with his fingers, waiting for Peter’s sobbing to quiet down some before continuing on. “I am so sorry. You hear me? I’m sorry. And you know what, you have every right to be angry with me. There’s a lot of things I could’ve done to protect you from that…thing…but I was a coward…”

Peter glanced up at the other, his quiet sobs had degraded into sniffling, as he listened to the other’s apology. But was his nurse being honest?

“…you knew it was coming last night.” Peter stated quietly, fighting back tears when his nurse slowly nodded in response.

“I had a feeling” he admitted before giving a weak smile. “But, now’s not the time to get…detailed. You want a shower. Don’t you? Let me clean you up and maybe change your sheets. Give you some time to think. And if you still want to talk after that…we can” the nurse suggested. “Is that okay, Pete?”

Peter paused for a moment. He wanted answers, needed them, but the thought of a shower took precedence over that, and so he nodded in agreement.

And just like that, Dave had let him go. The hero pulled his knees into his chest and followed the nurse with his eyes, somewhat missing the feeling of Dave holding onto him.

Dave knelt beside the hero’s bed, searching beneath it until he pulled something out. Peter didn’t recognize the strange device at first, but quickly frowned once the nurse unfolded the black and white plastic wheelchair and rolled it up beside him.

“I want to walk…” Peter muttered, staring at the chair, and frowning when he saw the nurse shake his head in his peripherals. Dave approached, reaching underneath the hero’s body before lifting him from the bed and into the security of his arms.

“Not yet. That’s what rehab is for.”

“Rehab?” the patient questioned as he was sat down in the chair, hissing as the cold chair pressed against his warmer skin. Like hell he was gonna stick around for that. Not with that thing running around. Peter glanced up, watching the nurse walk behind him and grab the chair’s handlebars. Dave pushed the patient to the door and opened it.

Before he even left the room, Peter could feel the eyes of every nurse and doctor in that hall. Whether they found out about the trouble the hero had caused the night before, or heard his terrible sobs moments earlier, the patient didn’t know. Either way, it was uncomfortable.

Dave rolled him along so slowly, he felt like a spectacle, but at least the nurse attempted to distract him from the barrage of glances and quiet whispers as they walked by.

“Personally, I don’t think you need rehab. You ran like a track star last night. But it’s just a precaution.”

“Right…” Peter stated back, not necessarily believing in the need for this ‘precaution.’ Sure, his legs were much weaker than they once were, but it was clear that he could still walk, still run. As far as Peter was concerned, he was perfectly fine…

Unless there was something in that doctor’s documents that said otherwise. Peter could still visualize the fat stack of papers on her clipboard, their contents a mystery. Why was she so hesitant to tell him what those papers said? And why did Dave and the doctor seems so, uncomfortable, when they first spoke? What else were these people hiding?

Another secret the hero would have to uncover, he supposed…

“Here we go…” Peter heard Dave say, and blinked, suddenly realizing they had stopped in front of a unisex bathroom door. Dave pushed on, making their way into the room. Inside the patient saw a toilet and an open shower directly beside it, large enough to fit a wheelchair.

Once the door was shut and Peter was rolled into place under the showerhead, Dave stepped in front of his patient and rested his hands on his shoulders.

“You know I’ve been caring for you for nearly a month now, right?” Dave quietly asked.

Peter’s brow furrowed, unsure of the reasoning behind the nurse’s obvious questions, but answering nonetheless.

“Yes?”

“And, you know that meant washing you? Everyday. Whenever you needed it.”

“I get it. You’re a nurse-”

“And you know my secret now” Dave interrupted. The nurse’s grasp on the patient’s shoulders tightened slightly, as if wanting to keep the brunette’s complete attention before continuing. “You know that I had to deal with that thing from time to time…” he tried to explain. “…and the messes it left.”

Peter stared at Dave for some time, trying to decode what he meant, when he looked down at his sticky thighs with sad eyes. “Messes like this?” he mumbled.

“Sometimes, yes. Sometimes it’s…other things. I have to check.”

“What the hell are you saying, Dave?” Peter said, the works growled out rather than spoken.  What other messes could that thing have left on him? And then there was Dave. Clearly, messes like this happened far more often that Dave had initially let on. He didn’t just know the creature’s schedule. He was practically working for it! Letting it do whatever it wanted to do to his sleeping body and showing up to scrub him clean for the next night. It was sickening…

Peter shut his eyes and shook his head, more disgusted than he’d ever been.

“You say you’re sorry about what happened, but you’ve been cleaning up its dirty work like it’s nothing…”

“You misunderstand-”

“ _I don’t want to hear it!”_ Peter quickly cut off, his eyes finally opening to shoot a hateful glare at his nurse. Dave looked so guilty, so upset, as he well should. As if any decent human being would allow something like this to happen. He was just as responsible, as far as the hero was concerned.

“Just…clean up the mess. Like always.”

And just like that, the room was silent. Dave didn’t move for a while, only watched Peter beseechingly, opening and closing his mouth as if searching for the right words to sate is angered patient, but no words were said. After another long minute of silence, Dave finally sighed out and stepped behind Peter’s chair.

Gently, the nurse undid the strings on his gown’s back, slowly taking apart his clothing until it fell from his shoulders and down his hips. Peter shut his eyes, feeling Dave reach down and pull away the paper dress, revealing everything he had to the other. Peter lowered his face, unable to stop the red glow growing over his cheeks.

“I’m turning the water on” the heard the nurse say, and flinched upon feeling the burst of warm water stream down from the showerhead and onto his unsuspecting skin. Well, at least it was warm. Before he knew it, Peter flinched again, feeling a warm cloth rub against the back of his neck.

“Are you okay?” Dave quietly said, but would receive no answer in return. Not immediately, anyway.

“Isn’t the mess down there?” Peter mumbled. “Not on my neck?”

“I have to wash all of you. Part of the job…”

And he was. All of him. Dave started on his neck, but he continued moving everywhere, rubbing the cloth down his chest, along his arms, over his stomach. He was so gentle, too, always rubbing his soft cloth in a circular motion, being careful to touch over every inch of the hero’s smooth skin. Fortunately, the hero was too infuriated to pay too much attention to the feeling, his body certainly would have quickly shown his nurse how much it liked to be touched. Eventually, most of Peter’s body was clean. All that was left was, the mess.

Dave stepped in front of the hero’s chair and knelt in front of him, getting the legs of his pants wet in the process. Peter opened his eyes for a moment, watching the man’s gaze as he knelt in front of him.

“Spread your legs. Please?” Dave told him. Peter didn’t move immediately. Suddenly, being washed by another man he’d met just a day ago was becoming a bit unbearable. But he needed to be washed. Plus, he’d already come this far…So hesitantly, shyly, he did as instructed, pushing his knees apart until they hit the sides of the chair. Dave didn’t move for a while, only glance up and down from the hero’s eyes to his mess, and Peter couldn’t help but notice Dave’s own red glow growing on his cheeks. Peter put his hands on the chair’s arm rests.

“Is there a problem?”

Dave quickly shook his head, turning his attention fully to the boy’s mess, and reached out to begin his cleaning. The nurse’s touching was gentle, slow, and professional, but uncomfortably intimate nonetheless. Peter grabbed the edge of his chair’s arm rests and leaned back, his body tensing as the warm, soft cloth ran up his inner thighs and pressed against his cock, soaking up the foreign liquid from his body.

“Shh…it’s okay” Dave whispered, Peter suddenly realizing that he had been whimpering. The hero did his best to keep quiet as his nurse continued to clean him, cleaning everywhere, washing him so meticulously, until the slime and the smell that the creature had left there was gone. And even after, Dave continued to wash him.

“Does anything hurt?” the nurse asked. “Soreness anywhere, you know, back there?”

“Just where…you stabbed me…” he breathed out in return.

“Pete” Dave sighed out, looking him from the patient’s clean body to his face. Peter looked at him, too, both of their faces red, before the man continued. “Look, I know you think I’m an asshole for letting this happen. You have every right to be upset…but…”

Dave paused, resting his hands against the top of his thighs, inching closer. “The truth is, I do care. You are my patient. But, I’m just a nurse. There only so much I can do to stop that thing from seeing you every night.”

“You…could have moved me….to a room without a…window” Peter muttered, his body still sensitive from the other’s touch, only to have Dave shake his head at the suggestion.

“I did” Dave rebutted. “That’s exactly what I did. But your aunt. She’s a nurse, too, you know? She always questioned the way I cared for you. Then one day she came in and insisted that you needed sunlight. And after the doctor agreed, there wasn’t much else I could’ve done.”

The hero frowned. His aunt was a nurse, a newly certified one at that. It sounded like something Aunt May would do, too. Ever since she got her nursing degree, she had become even more protective of him. But he couldn’t blame her. Peter always worried her when he was in high school, always coming home late at night with bruises and cuts from his crime fighting. Of course she’d do everything in her power to make sure he was properly cared for, but it was a shame that it didn’t help keep him out of harm’s way. Not that he blamed her. She was right about not trusting Dave with his wellbeing…

“You could have said something… _anything_ …”

“They’d throw me in an asylum, Pete. Or fire me. Or _blame_ me. I couldn’t…I just…” Dave trailed off, his balled fist clenched so hard that his knuckles turned white. Clearly, he truly thought he was doing the right thing about not saying anything.

“But…it’s not like I gave up” Dave continued. “I always watched you. Made sure it didn’t…you know, go too far…”

Peter nearly scoffed, but instead hissed when Dave’s hands began to move again, rubbing away the last bit of soapy water from his body before standing to his feet again and setting the used cloth to the side.

“Right. Because this isn’t going too far…”

“You have no idea.”

The hero stilled, staring back at Dave’s unsettlingly serious gaze, before the nurse shut off the warm water, stepped over to a nearby cabinet and pulled out a towel and fresh hospital gown. The hero decided it would be best not to inquire on any additional details, though he was pretty sure he had a good idea about what Venom had been doing…

Dave handed the male the towel and Peter reached out to take it, only to pause when his nurse did not release it immediately. Instead Dave stood there, his eyes connected with Peter’s again, his face filled with guilt and sorrow so pitiful that Peter couldn’t help but frown in return. He almost looked like he was in pain…

“Peter. Please. I don’t…” Dave struggled to speak. Peter could practically feel the surge of discomfort emitting from the male as he continued. “…I don’t want you to think that I…consented…with what that monster did to you. It’s wrong. But I was…scared. I don’t even know what the hell it is…or why it even wants you, but-”

Peter closed his eyes and shook his head, the subtle action enough to silence the frazzled nurse’s heartfelt explanation.

But Peter’s actions weren’t out of anger. Not entirely, anyway.

Peter wanted to hate Dave. It would’ve been so easy to blame Dave for everything that had happened to him, but deep down Peter knew that it wouldn’t be right. After all, Dave didn’t have a superpower. He didn’t have any way of defending himself against a monster that ruthless, despite his supposedly strong will to protect his patient. He really was just an ordinary, human nurse. And as such, there honestly wasn’t much that Dave could have done without the risk of being injured. Peter didn’t even want to think about what would’ve happened if Dave tried to physically intervene, though Peter had a good idea what the outcome would have been.

Perhaps…it was a good thing that Dave didn’t get involved. And, as much as he hated to admit it, perhaps he’d been too hard on his nurse, too…

“…I’m sorry…” he heard Dave quietly whisper. Peter opened his eyes again, and nearly chuckled at the pained expression plastered across the other male’s face.

“Dave…” he called out through the slightest of smiles, releasing the towel in his hand and crossing his arms across his bare chest. “This…all of this. It’s not your fault…” Peter sighed out, then lowered his eyes to the floor. “Remember yesterday when I said I didn’t remember anything?” he asked the other man. “Well, I lied.”

“…what did you remember?” Dave quietly asked, almost timidly, and Peter continued to try and keep a smile on his face.

“I remembered that, thing, being in my apartment. It was in there with me. Hiding. Like it was last night” he told him, recalling the creature hiding in the shadows of his room, then suddenly appearing. Almost like an ambush, except he didn’t remember what happened next. Though after last night went, he was more or less certain that Venom snuck in his room in an attempt to either fight him, as it was so accustomed to doing, or sexually humiliate him. Either way…

“Whatever’s been going on between me and Venom…I wouldn’t be surprised if it had been going on long before I even got here, so, it’s not your fault.”

“Venom?” Dave questioned, and Peter looked up to him.

“That’s its name.”

Dave gave the hero a look as he reached out and finally handed the patient a towel to dry off with. “So you know it?” he asked, standing to the side as he waited for Peter to soak up the water from his skin.

“Well…sort of…” Peter explained, rubbing off the last bit of water from his body, thinking of the right words to say to Dave without potentially freaking him out. “Before it was, I guess, the thing that it is now, he was actually a really sweet guy.”

Peter spotted the confused look on the nurse’s face before he took the used towel back from his patient and turned to set it on the top of the dresser. When he returned, he handed the hero a fresh new gown and instructed the hero to put it on.

“How’d he get all…big?”

Peter threw the gown over his head and put his arm through the short sleeves, only hiding his blushing face momentarily from the nurse who curiously watched on. Eventually Dave walked around the patient’s chair and began to tie up the strings on the gown’s back, completely silent as he waited for an answer. Quietly, and very ruefully, Peter began to explain.

“It’s…my fault-”

Before he could say any more, two gentle knocks on the bathroom door suddenly interrupted Peter’s words, and both males turned to look at it.

“Dave…” a familiar female voce called out from the other side. The nurse paused, not going to the door immediately, only standing behind the hero in silence, as if waiting for the story to continue, but Peter never did. In a way, he was glad to have been interrupted. Other than the slim chance that he’d accidentally say something to reveal his secret identity, the last thing he wanted to do was recall the rocky passed he and Eddie had shared…

“Dave?” the voice called out again.

“Coming…” he quickly replied, finally stepping over to the door when he realized Peter wouldn’t continue. He cracked it open, revealing the redheaded woman in the white coat standing on the other side. It was the doctor from the other day. Doctor Holmes.

And she had a clipboard in her hands.

“Hey, I was looking for you. Is he decent? His aunt’s here” he heard the woman say, and Peter’s eyes widened.

“Aunt May?” he interjected quietly, and the two turned to him. The doctor smiled at him, taking a step forward as Dave opened the door for her.

“Yes, she just got here” she began, doing her best to keep her expression as uplifting as possible. But Peter could tell her thoughts reflected anything other than happy. “I thought it would be best for her to be here with you while I explained…” She placed her palm over the large stack of papers against her clipboard. “…everything.”

Peter nodded in return. It was probably for the best that she was here, though he hated the idea of making her worry about him and all of his health issues. Nevertheless, he needed support. Needed someone to be there for him, and she was the only one to seem to care enough to step up to the plate.

“If you guys are ready, we can go meet her back in the room” Doctor Holmes instructed, earning a nod from the patient. Dave returned to Peter’s back and finished up tying the gown up. Once he was dressed, Dave followed the doctor out of the bathroom, pushing the patient along with him.

The ride was slow and nerve-racking for the wheelchair bound hero. He hadn’t seen his aunt in weeks now. He left her alone for the holidays, probably kept her up at night. Apologizing over the phone was easy, but doing it in person, it would be hard. Not because the hero questioned his guilt in the matter, but that there was no way he was capable of explaining himself to her. He couldn’t blame Venom or let her know what really might have happened to put him in a place like this. It was superhero business, secret business. And so, he’d have to keep lying about what he knew.

Peter glanced back at Dave, suddenly wondering if the nurse would continue to play along. Dave must have noticed the hero’s eyes because he quickly looked down to him, giving the patient a small smile before rolling the hero up to his inescapable hospital room, spotting the woman with white hair stare thoughtfully through his cracked window, her old, brown jacket and floral scarf wrapped around her small body, the hymn she sung all too familiar.

“Ms. May?” the doctor called quietly from the hallway, and all three watched as the woman turned, the large satchel she held in her hands suddenly visible to Peter, but he didn’t pay it too much mind. He was too focused on the old woman he had been torturing for so long with his medical condition. The woman who he had worried, the one who was always there to watch over him as he recovered. The only one who cared. And she was here, again, right by his side, ready to do it all over again.

“Aunt May…” Peter said, nearly whispered, as their eyes connected for the first time in nearly months, and the woman smiled.

“I nearly forgot about those beautiful, brown eyes of yours, Peter.”

Before the doctor or nurse complain, the hero stood from his chair and leaped forward, getting to his aunt in a matter of steps before wrapping his arms around her and burying his face in her shoulder.

“I’m…I’m so sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry…” he repeated, hearing his aunt sigh out before saying,

“You have nothing to be sorry for.” The woman took a step back, putting a hand up on the brunette’s shoulders as he warned him, “Just don’t scare me like that, again. You hear?”

“Yes ma’am.”

“Good, now, I’ve got some things for you…and some news” the older woman explained.

The nurse and doctor entered the room and closed the door behind them. Dave approached Peter and quietly instructed him to get into bed. The hero looked over to it, noting the new sheets, and laid back in bed as instructed. As Dave remained by his side to tuck him under the comforter and fluff his pillows, the doctor and aunt whispered quietly to one another on the other side of the room, there words too quiet for the hero to make out.

When they finally ended their conversation, the two stood at the side of Peter’s bed, watching him in silence for a moment before the doctor spoke again.

“Okay, Peter. Both your aunt and I have some news for you. Now, with everything that happened last night, I am moderately worried about how you’ll take it all-”

“I can handle it” Peter insisted, “Really, last night I wasn’t thinking straight but, now I am. I’m okay. Honest.”

“Well, just in case…”

Before he knew was his nurse was up to, he hissed, feeling the cold patches of his heart monitor stick to his skin when Dave crept over to place them there. “Just, try to relax” Dave insisted, adjusting the white patches against his chest before taking a step back from the patient and giving him a sorrowful smile.

“If you feel that you’re stressed or, need a break, please tell us. Otherwise, I’m just gonna keep an eye on the heart monitor. Okay?”

“Is it that bad?” Peter muttered, slightly worried, and the machine reacted in response.

“It’s not, good, news, honey” Aunt May responded, the look on her face confirming her fears. Peter frowned. It was never good when not even his own aunt could sugarcoat a bad situation.

“Okay…” Peter said, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. “…who wants to go first?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully, the wait was worth it? Thanks for reading!


	6. News

“My apartment?” Peter whispered to his aunt, staring at the old woman with wide eyes as she lowered her head to the floor and gave the hero the slightest of nods.

It’s not like Aunt May’s news was surprising to Peter. After disappearing from his apartment for three weeks, this situation was bound to pop up sooner or later. But even so, her news was hard to listen to. It was so hard to think about, so hard to even visualize. He didn’t want to hear it. The last thing he needed in his life was more of this bad news…

Still, Aunt May continued to say what needed to be said.

“Your landlord,” the woman began, glancing back up to her dismayed nephew. “I suppose he thought that you had left town owing rent, so, he evicted you. I found out about two weeks ago, but by then, all of your stuff was just…gone.”

That’s when the woman reached up to set the satchel up on Peter’s lap, the old satchel that she had come in with. Peter’s wide eyes shifted downwards, staring almost blankly at the worn bag.

“You remember this, don’t you?” she asked him, running her hands over the old leather straps. Peter nodded in return. How could he forget? This was Uncle Ben’s old satchel. Peter remembered using it all of the time after it had been willed to him.

He also remembered stuffing it with some of his clothes after realizing a certain symbiote had been breaking into his place in the middle of the night.

“Your landlord was nice enough to keep this for you. And some of your electronics. Though, I suspect he wanted to pawn them off…the thief…”

“My electronics?” Peter repeated, looking up to the woman with a speck of optimism in his eyes. “My phone?”

“Unfortunately, no…” she responded, shaking her head and frowning when Peter’s hopeful expression seemed to fade away. “But your camera is safe and sound. And your laptop, too.”

Peter reached up to the bag’s zipper and opened it, staring at the contents inside. Just as his aunt had said, his laptop and camera were safe. Also inside was some of the clothes he had packed away. That was all. But even so, it was relieving to at least have this, though he’d surely miss every other possession he’d worked so hard to earn. In fact, the more he thought about it, the more it began to weigh heavy on his heart. There were so many things he’d never get to see again. All of his books, his movies, all that he worked so hard for…

“You always have a place to stay back home…” his aunt quietly interjected, earning the hero’s eyes again, her kind smile trying to lighten the heavy impact of her bad news.

But Peter wouldn’t dare move back in with his aunt. Not that he didn’t love her, but staying away from her was probably for her own good. Other than the fact that he didn’t want to be a burden to her, the last thing he wanted was to put her in harm’s way of that creature. If it had come to Peter’s apartment, what would stop it from coming to his aunt’s home? His mere presence in Aunt May’s place would put her in danger. And if anything were to happen to his aunt because of him, the hero wouldn’t be able to live with the guilt. There was just no way he could accept the offer…

But he wouldn’t tell her that. No, not just yet. The last thing he wanted was for her to worry any more about him…

Instead, Peter tried his best to give his aunt the most believable smile he could conjure up, trying to remain polite. But attempting to act as if he were happy was pointless. His face refused to shift away from its confused and pained expression, no matter how hard he tried. His mind, though focused on his aunt and her wellbeing, was still caught up in the painful realization that he was essentially homeless. He wanted to put the thought in the back of his mind, he really did, but the picture of his empty apartment, his possessions tossed on the side of the road for anyone to take, it simply wouldn’t go away.

In the end, he simply turned his frowning face away from Aunt May, looking over to the doctor and nurse who silently stood on the other side of the room, their eyes switching back and forth from the patient to his heart monitor.

“Well. Can you top that, doctor?” Peter mumbled, trying to lighten the mood, but failing miserably. Slowly, Doctor Holmes approached the side of the bed, the paper filled clipboard still in her hands, and analyzed the hero’s face before asking him,

“Are you sure you’re ready? We can wait if you-”

“No. Might as well get all the bad news now” Peter said flatly, though deep down he could only hope that whatever news this woman had for him wasn’t too serious. Peter was still oblivious to what was written in those documents, and the doctor’s staring, judgmental eyes wasn’t making him feel any better about learning what those papers said.

The woman was silent for quite some time, as if deciphering whether or not she should tell the patient her news, before glancing down at her papers and pressing a palm against the first page.

“I’m not here to sugarcoat things. So I’m going to be one hundred percent direct, okay? Stop me if you think you need a break.”

Peter simply nodded, his worried eyes turning to the bag in his lap before closing his eyes, bracing for the bad news, though his mind still kept coming back to his damn apartment again. Why the hell couldn’t he stop thinking about it? The hero could hear his heart monitor bounce into a faster pace as he remembered all of the sentimental things he no longer had, all of the gifts from his boyfriend, all of his childhood memorabilia. All that was left of him was stuffed inside of a bag. He didn’t even have a goddamn toothbrush…

 “…and we tested your blood. We found there was a high amount of rohypnol in your system, and so we determined…”

Peter blinked, slowly coming out of his gloomy thoughts as he began to focus on the woman’s words again. Had she been talking about those papers this entire time?

“High amount of what?” he asked.

“Rohypnol” she repeated. “It’s…a muscle relaxer. Illegal in the U.S.”

Peter stared at her for a moment, then lowered his head and nodded slowly. Though the woman promised not to sugarcoat things, Peter already knew what this particular ‘muscle relaxer’ was truly known for: date rapes. Rohypnol was really just a fancy name for roofies. Had Venom drugged him with it when it came to his apartment? And if so, how did it do it? There’s no way Peter would just let that thing force a pill down his throat. This wasn’t making any sense. What the hell happened three weeks ago?!

“Should we continue?” the brunette heard the woman ask, her voice filled with concern as she spoke as if she could sense the raging storm blowing through the sanity in Peter’s mind. The patient looked up to the woman, trying to keep his face as calm as possible, before giving her another small nod.

“What I’m trying to say is…” the woman started with a sigh, lowering her clipboard to the side of her hip, her worried eyes telling the full story before her words did. “From the amount of drugs in your system and the damage to your body, it looks as though you may have been assaulted before, or after, you went into a coma. For days.”

Peter’s eyes nearly fell out of their sockets as he turned to gawk at the woman and her words.

“ _Days_? What do you mean _days_?” he asked her, feeling his heart about to give out, hearing the sharp spike in beeping from the monitor.

“At first we didn’t understand, either” the woman tried to explain. “The amount of rohypnol in your body, it was unheard of. You should have _died_. But by some miracle, you went into a coma instead. The only logical explanation for your survival, the large amount of rohypnol in your blood, and your body’s…injuries…is that whoever had you, wherever you were, you had been drugged and assaulted for more than just a single instance.”

Peter said nothing to this, only opted to stare at the doctor in shock before his face slowly faded away into a blank, emotionless expression. Days. Venom must have been raping him for fucking _days_. And he couldn’t even remember any of it.

“Peter…Peter, are you okay?” the woman asked quietly, looking at the hero closely with worried eyes. But Peter didn’t see her. He was looking through her, examining her words as they floated through his unstable mind until a sick, pained knot in his gut caused him to grab his stomach and buckle over in his bed.

“Peter?”

“I don’t…feel so good” he muttered, feeling the bubbles in his stomach abruptly rise from its chambers and make its way up his throat. Peter raised a hand to his mouth and suddenly gagged harshly. “I’m gonna be sick…” he muffled out before another gag ripped past his lips. Peter closed his eyes, feeling his aunt step closer and rub the top of his back as the doctor and nurse shuffled their way through the room for some time until a silver pan found its way over Uncle Ben’s satchel and in front of the hero.

Peter removed his hand from his mouth and huddled over the pan, gagging and spitting whatever came up. But nothing would. His stomach was empty. The dry heaves were so painful, it caused a stray tear to fall from the corner of his eye. This news, it was so disgusting, so vile that it was literally making the hero sick.

Fortunately, the episode didn’t last long. A few moments after the patient began to feel sick, his stomach slowly began to settle, halting his gagging in turn. Only then did Peter open his eyes again, the picture of the spit covered pan in his lap causing him to frown.

“Are you alright?” the doctor asked, and Peter looked over to her. The patient wiped his mouth clean with the back of his hand, removing the lines of drool that had fallen down his chin.

“I’m okay. Sorry, I don’t know what happened…”

“There’s nothing to apologize for” the doctor insisted, then reached over to take the pan from his hero’s waist and set it on the dresser beside the bed. Peter nodded as he leaned up from his huddled position, spotting the dreadfully concerned faces of his nurse and his aunt as they stared.

“I’m okay. Really. I just…I don’t think I can hear any more. I can’t…”

“There’s nothing more to hear” Holmes told him softly, much to the hero’s relief. The woman looked over to his aunt that stood on the other side of the bed, giving her a soft smile before quietly telling her,

“I think he needs to rest now, to process all of this.”

 “I don’t need rest, I just got sick is all-” Peter tried to defend, though the woman was probably right. His raging mind, his sick stomach, maybe it was for the best that he tried to sleep all of this off. The only thing stopping him from doing so was the fact that his aunt might worry about him even more, especially after the performance he had just displayed to her.

Unfortunately, it was far too late to try and calm her down.

“Peter Parker, you listen to your doctor. You need to rest yourself” she promptly scolded her nephew. “And maybe _eat_ something, too, for God’s sake” she added in, glancing over to the untouched plate of cold food sitting on the dresser at his side.

“That’s right,” the doctor added in, waving her hand over to pancakes. “Why haven’t you been eating? You’re slowing your recovery down…”

“I don’t know” he admitted, glancing over to the pancakes there, frowning when that sickening feeling in his gut returned to him. He hadn’t eaten all day. He knew that he was hungry, he could feel his body getting weaker each passing moment his stomach remained empty, but for whatever reason, he couldn’t eat the pancakes there. Just the thought of doing so made his stomach lurch and his heart pound…

“Can I…try to eat something else? Other than the breakfast…?” Peter suggested. Dave, who had been quiet during the gathering, took a step forward.

“There’s baked chicken for lunch. If you want to try that…” he chimed in, much to the delight of the hero. It sounded like something he could stomach down, so he nodded at the offer almost instantly. With a smile and nothing more, Dave stepped out of the room, presumably to go get the patient his lunch.

“And after you eat, you promise to try and get some sleep?” Aunt May asked, earning the brunette’s attention once more. She looked so worried, though she did a good job trying to hide her fears behind her soft smile and quiet voice. But Peter could tell. He could always tell when she was hiding something. Aunt May was on the edge of hysteria.

“I promise” Peter said, making another attempt to smile at the woman again. “You don’t have to worry about me anymore.”

“I can’t help it,” the woman told him, reaching out to grab the hero’s closest hand, holding it in her own as if it were the most precious thing in the world. “You’re all I’ve got left, you know.”

Her words alone was enough to wipe the weak smile from his face. The hero tightened the grasp around the woman’s hand, trying to keep himself from crumbling under the guilt he felt for making her so unnecessarily troubled with all of this nonsense. Even though he didn’t know what happened to him three weeks ago, he felt responsible for all the pain he’d caused her. All of her restless nights, all of her grief. He couldn’t let her tear herself apart because of what happened to him.

“You’re all I have, too” Peter quietly said, pulling his lips back up into a smile again.

“Well I don’t know about that. You have Wade, as well” she mentioned innocently, and once again stole the smile from his face. “Has he stopped by yet? To see you?”

“No. Still must be out of town” he told her…he tried to keep telling himself.

How long had it been since he had a conversation with his boyfriend? Wade always left town to do jobs for long periods of time, but even so, they attempted to keep in touch with one another. At least, Peter did, anyway. Surely, Wade must have noticed their halt in phone conversations and text messages. Was he worried? Did he even _care_ enough to worry?

Peter tried to keep a straight face as his pondering thoughts slowly came back to a more comfortable place. Wade was busy. Peter knew that. There were plenty of reasons as to why Wade hadn’t contacted him, hadn’t come back home yet, to be there for him when he needed him most. Work was very important to him, after all…more important. Peter sighed, lowering his eyes to the bed, silently wondering how long he’d have to keep lying and pretending that everything was okay between the two of them.

At least another day, he supposed.

“I tried calling but he didn’t answer. Reception isn’t the best down there. I’ll try again a little later” Peter said with his most casual shrug.

“Well. In the meantime…” the older woman began, looking down to Peter’s hand as she squeezed it one last time. “If you need someone to talk to, you can always call me.”

Peter nodded at the woman, then watched as her hand unraveled from his before stepping around his bed and over to the silent Doctor Holmes standing on the other side.

“Behave yourself. Eat. Get some rest” she ordered her nephew. “I’ll stop by tomorrow, alright?” she informed, the hint of desperation laced in her voice concerning the hero. Still, he did his best to remain happy and compliant to her instructions.

“Yes, ma’am…” he agreed with a smile.

And with a soft smile and a farewell nod, the woman slowly, and almost reluctantly, stepped towards the hospital room’s door, the doctor following close behind her. Once out in the hallway, the two women spoke for some time, keeping their voice low and quiet as to keep the curious patient from hearing their conversation. Peter continued to watch them through the doorway, doing his best to hear what they were discussing, but failing to decode most of the whispers they shared.

“…to the police station…the detective…” were the only words from his aunt he managed to hear, but it told the hero everything he needed to know. It looked as though Aunt May was talking with the police to try and figure out what actually happened. Not that they’d be able to stop the person responsible for all of this. If Peter couldn’t fight it off, then who could?

Peter shut his eyes and shook his head, recalling how utterly helpless he was last night when Venom stopped by for a visit. He couldn’t do a damn thing when monster came except for run away, and even then, Venom managed to get its claws on him.

And it looked as though this, thing, for whatever reason, was far from finished with him, if Dave’s haunting stories was anything to go by. If everything his nurse said was true, then there was no doubt that the creature was probably going to stop by again tonight. What would happen to Peter if he couldn’t get away this time? What if the creature finally got its way? Would he be dead? Would the vicious cycle of rohypnol and rape continue? Either way, he wouldn’t be able to see his aunt the next day. Or the next day. Or the next. And Peter couldn’t put that woman through something like that again.

But what could he do in this state? Nothing. Being stuck in this hospital room, there was nothing the hero could possibly accomplish except for wait to be visited again by that, thing, and be accosted. That was the cycle. And it would be worse now, since he’d be awake to experience all of it.

Peter pinched the inside of his mouth with his teeth, having a hard time not imagining all of the sick, twisted things that monster was probably going to do to him the moment it stepped foot through his window tonight. He could already visualize it crawling through the window on all fours, hiding behind the shadows, as it always did, before overpowering the weakened hero. It would use him, it would humiliate and embarrass him, and like always, Peter would be able to do absolutely nothing-

 “What the heck are you thinking about?” Peter suddenly heard, and the hero paused his panicked thoughts.

“Huh?” he breathed out, now suddenly realizing how heavy his breathing had become. Peter glanced over to the side of his bed, spotting the nurse that stood quietly by his side, his head tilted to the side as if pondering the hero and his silent thoughts, a silver tray of food held with both of his hands. How long had he been standing there?

“I called your name, like, five times and you didn’t answer. You okay?”

Peter blinked, then slowly gave the nurse a small nod.

“I’m…fine” he quietly said, though he was slightly concerned by the fact that this was the second time he had zoned out like this. His mind, it was going a thousand miles a second, racing to one fear after another. It was…scary. He’d never experienced this feeling before. Perhaps he really did need some rest…

“Well…” Dave began, as if not truly believing the patient’s words. “I brought your food.”

The nurse took a step forward, then waited for Peter to move his satchel to the side before setting the metal tray down in his lap. Peter looked down at the contents of his meal and couldn’t help but frown. There was chicken, just as Dave said before, accompanied by vegetables and a cup of juice. It looked good. And Peter was really hungry. So, why the hell didn’t he want to touch his food? Instead of chowing down on the delicious meal presented to him, the hero only sat there in his bed, staring down at the tray in silence, until Dave cleared his throat and stole the patient’s attention once more.

“You want me to feed you? They pay me for that, too, you know.”

“What? No, I just…” Peter paused, searching for an explanation for his odd behavior, but could find none. He didn’t understand it himself. He was just so distracted, he didn’t want to eat, despite the fact that he was essentially starving.

“You have to eat it, Pete” Dave pressed on after a sigh. “All of it.”

“I know that” Peter insisted. “I’m just…not that hungry right now.”

“How could you not be hungry? You haven’t eaten since you woke up. Clearly, you want me to spoon feed you.”

Peter frowned at the very idea, a frown that only grew deeper when Dave grabbed the plastic fork and knife from the tray and began cutting at the chicken.

“Dave, please. I don’t need-” Peter began, but was quickly silenced when his nurse promptly hushed him before raising a cube of chicken up to his face. He looked down at the food speared through the tips of the plastic fork, grimacing.

“Just a few bites, Pete. Then I’ll let you eat the rest, okay?”

Peter looked up to Dave, giving the other man a disapproving look, before opening his mouth and allowing the nurse to feed him. Peter reluctantly began to chew the food, finding the piece of seasoned chicken in his mouth so foreign. He could hardly swallow any of it. It was understandable, seeing as he hadn’t eaten anything for at least three weeks. Though he really didn’t want to eat, he was pleased to find that the meal was just as delicious as it looked. Dave smiled as the hero ate, then went down to cut another piece off for him.

“When I was fetching your food, I noticed a vacant room on the other side of the floor” he said quietly, glancing up to the hero for a reaction. “It doesn’t have a window, and it’s really close to my work station. If you want, I could ask to move you-”

“What’s the point?” Peter quickly cut off, lowering his eyes away from his nurse in order to avoid the objecting gaze he was given. But in all honesty, there really was no point in moving around. It’s not like Venom had trouble finding him, whether or not he was in his apartment or in his hospital room. It would find him, regardless of where he went. Besides, he could already visualize Venom stalking the hallways of the hospital while it searched for him, and Peter would rather not put other people in danger by his actions.

But Dave didn’t see things that way.

“The point is,” the nurse began, lowering the plastic utensils to the tray, his voice stern yet full of worry. “Your visitor won’t come knocking in the middle of the night. It won’t get to you. You’ll be safe.”

Peter couldn’t help but scoff. “Safe” he sarcastically repeated. There Dave was, throwing that word around again…

“Yes. Safe. Look, I know things seem bad. I get that. But, you can’t just give up.”

“Why not? It’s already won…” Peter huffed, his voice weakening, barely able to finish his sentence without his quiet words coming out broken and nervous.

“It’s already taken everything from me…”

The room was silent for a moment, Peter doing his best to gain control of his strange, abnormal emotions, when he felt something touch under his chin. The brunette opened his eyes, watching as Dave’s hand raised his head from its lowered position so they could make eye contact once more. The man smiled as Peter stared back at him, the hero trying his very, very best to ignore the sudden jump in the heart monitor’s pace as he looked into those soft, gentle gray eyes.

“Not everything.”

Dave released the patient’s chin and stepped around his bed, moving over to the side where Peter’s satchel was. The nurse reached for the zipper there, then paused before asking, “Do you mind?”

Peter, still trying to control his heartbeat, gave the nurse a small nod, then watched in silence as the man opened the bag and searched through the hero’s remaining possessions. It wasn’t long until the nurse came upon one of the largest and most expensive items inside of his bag: his camera.

“Jeez, Pete. This looks…complicated” the nurse commented, raising the expensive device out of hiding to present to the patient. Peter looked down at the camera, suddenly noticing that it still had its lens attached to it, a lens that cost him about a thousand dollars. Thank God his landlord hadn’t thrown it out…

“You must like taking pictures, huh?” Dave said, examining every button on the advanced camera.

Peter, suspecting that his worried nurse was doing everything he could to distract the troubled patient, still couldn’t help but smile at the awkward way Dave held the large gadget, and extended his hands out to the other. Dave glanced up from his inspecting and carefully handed Peter his camera, then watched quietly as the hero powered the device on with a press of a button.

“I’m a photographer” he quietly said, not that he had much of a job left at the Daily Bugle. He had been gone for weeks, after all…

“Can I see?” Dave inquired innocently, earning another soft smile from Peter as he glanced up from the digital screen on the back of his camera. Peter handed the device back over to Dave, then pointed to some of the buttons there as he gave the nurse some basic instructions on how to use it. After that, he simply waited for Dave to run through the dozen of photos of city skylines and bustling New Yorkers until an image of a certain red and blue superhero found his way onto the screen.

Dave furrowed his brow and tilted his head, staring at the image for quite a while before stating,

“This is Spider-Man.”

“Yes.”

The nurse looked up, the star-struck glimmer in his eyes and wide grin easily causing the hero’s cheeks to flush.

“You seriously take photos of Spider-Man?”

“I do. At least, I used to…”

“Used to!?” Dave asked, a little too shocked by Peter’s timid words. Dave continued scanning through photo after photo of the superhero, watching in awe at the many close up shots the brunette had captured of the city’s hero.

“Dude, Spider-Man _posed_ for these. Like, more than once.”

“I was his photographer. For the newspaper.” Dave lowered Peter’s camera to the bed, giving the patient a playful scowl before asking,

“And you just _stopped_ being a superhero’s photographer?”

“No, I just…” Peter lowered his eyes to his camera. “I haven’t been to work in so long. I doubt I even have a job anymore.”

Dave paused for a moment, then reached out to raise Peter’s head again. Reluctantly, the brunette did, making eye contact with the gray eyes once more.

“Well, I’d hate for you to lose your job because you took a little nap” he said quietly, the hand on Peter’s chin slowly making its way across the line of his jaw, and causing the surprised hero to tense at the gentle fingertips that ran across his face. Fortunately, the touch was gone after a few moments, Dave’s hand returning to the camera before the nurse handed it back to its rightful owner.

“Before you get some rest, why don’t you get in touch with your boss? Explain what happened, maybe show off some of those awesome pictures, and remind them how talented you are?” Dave suggested. “I really doubt they wouldn’t take you back.”

If Dave was trying to keep the patient’s spirits up, he was doing a really good job at it. The nurse had a good point; he couldn’t just sit here forever and be a victim like he had been. If he was going to start his life again, he would need his job back. And with his camera in his hand and a laptop in his bag, he pretty much had everything he needed in order to do so.

“And, even if they don’t take you, it’s not like they’re the only newspaper. You could work for anyone with shots like this. Seriously. I just, I don’t want you to give up. I mean, you’re talented and handsome and I think you’re an awesome guy, who wouldn’t want to work with you, right?”

“…right…” Peter muttered back, finding himself struggling to keep the smile off his face after the bombardment of encouragement and compliments. Did Dave really think all of those things?

“So,” Dave said, clapping his hands together and smiling at the uplifted hero before asking, “Do I have to keep buttering you up, or are you going to be okay?”

“I think I’ll be okay” Peter said with a nod. “But, um…”

Dave’s smile quickly into a worried expression.

“What?”

“Is it possible if I, maybe, email my boss now?” he asked, glancing down at the photograph of Spider-Man crawling on the side of a building on his camera screen. “I want to email him now, just in case I start feeling…down…again…” Peter felt fine now, but who knew how he’d feel in a few hours, or minutes. His emotions were just so wild and volatile, he couldn’t help but worry if he’d start feeling the way he did before Dave came over to cheer him up.

“Please” Peter continued to insist, looking up to Dave once more. “I promise, I’ll eat everything. And I’ll take my nap. Please?”

Dave crossed his arms and hummed to himself, as if pondering whether or not to believe the patient’s words, before giving Peter a nonchalant shrug and saying, “Well, if you promise.”

Peter smiled, giving the nurse another nod before tensing again as he felt Dave’s hand once more. This time, it reached out to run through the top of the bird’s nest on top of his head, his fingers so gentle and careful that it almost seemed, loving? Peter couldn’t help but blush.

“I’ll check on you in a little while then. And I’ll ask Doctor Holmes about that other room, too…”

“Okay” he quietly responded, then silently waited for his nurse to step away from the hero, removing his wandering hand in turn. Dave stepped around the hero’s bed and towards the door, then turned to the patient one last time before repeating,

“Call me if you need me.”

Slowly, the nurse shut the door behind him, and once more, Peter was alone. The hero, still blushing from their interaction, reached up to touch the hair where Dave’s hand once was, and couldn’t help but find himself…smiling. Dave really was the sweetest guy. Being around him, Peter had nearly forgotten how tragic his circumstances were.  

But if he was going to truly get past all of the terrible things that had been done to him, he’d need to restart his life again. And that meant securing a job. So, with his spirits lifted and confidence boosted, the hero set his food tray to the dresser and reached into his bag for his laptop. Once secured in his lap, Peter opened the old computer and booted it up, then took a moment to try and remember his email login.

Once the email came to mind, Peter logged into it and found himself staring at an extensive list of unread messages. Most of them were from his job, probably wondering where he was. But there was so much more. As Peter scrolled down his email, he could see dozens of unread messages from a worried Aunt May, annoying spammers, and even one from…from…

Peter stared at his computer screen in absolute disbelief, blinking at the name that filled his inbox as if his eyes deceived him. But they hadn’t. Peter had read the name correctly. And though it didn’t make one bit of sense to him, nor seemed remotely possible, he could not deny the fact that there was a message in his email from the one person he’d never in his life expect one from.

An email from _Eddie Brock_.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading guys! I don't know about you, but I think this story is due for some very explicit and smutty flashbacks. I'll see what I can do in the next chapter C;


	7. Edward Brock Jr.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Note: This is a flashback C;

Getting out of bed was honestly the last thing Peter Parker wanted to do when he woke up one March morning. Laying half naked on his stomach, Peter could already feel the unexplainable soreness that berated his pained body. His aching head throbbed as the bright sun rays that penetrated his window assaulted his sensitive eyes and left him blinded. Peter groaned at the morning light and turned his face away from the window, looking to the wall beside his bed instead.

In this moment, there was nothing the young hero wanted more than to sleep. But no matter how long he laid there, completely submerged in his old, spring mattress, the hero simply couldn’t fall back asleep. It didn’t feel like he had gotten any rest at all, despite the fact that he had made sure to go to bed at nine last night.

Sadly, this wasn’t surprising. Peter hadn’t been resting well in a very long time. It didn’t matter how short he would cut his patrols or how early he’d go to bed. Every morning, it was the same thing: sore muscles, throbbing head, and a yearning for more rest.

Unfortunately for the hero, more rest was not a possibility. Today was an important day: Friday. The day that Peter Parker, the freelance photographer of the Daily Bugle newspaper, turned in his work for the week. He had to get up and be on time. He had to ensure that he looked his very best as to impress his stiff boss. And he needed to land a hefty check for his overdue rent.

Then again, more rest would have been so nice. A few extra minutes of rest couldn’t hurt, right?

Peter prepared his sensitive eyes before turning in the direction of the window once more to look at the alarm clock that sat on the dresser beside him. The hero narrowed his tired eyes and looked past the bright rays that obstructed his vision, only to find himself staring at his brand new, black Spider-man suit that drooped over the green digital numbers of his alarm clock, its mask flopped upside down as the eyes stared back at the exhausted hero.

Peter furrowed his brow, not remembering tossing his suit there but too tired to try and decipher how it ended up in such an odd place. Instead, he reached over and tossed the suit to the floor, then stared wide eyed and in utter disbelief at the digital clock as it displayed a time of 10:27 in the morning. Peter popped his head up so quickly that he nearly broke his neck. How the hell was it 10:27!? He set his alarm clock for 10:00! Why didn’t it go off?

The hero’s tired body, despite its objection, quickly hopped into action and rolled out of the soft, comfortable bed. Without a precious snooze button to spare, Peter darted over to his closet and retrieve the collared shirt and slacks he had ironed the night before.

Peter absolutely loathed wearing such things, but he had no choice. He had to go to work, though, in all honesty, the last thing he wanted to do right now was be surrounded by those snobs. He liked being alone like this, in his room, by himself. Or maybe it wasn’t that. Perhaps he didn’t want to run off to work because he didn’t want to be around anyone who wasn’t his boyfriend.

Wade had been gone for at least a month now, and it was extremely frustrating to be without him. Peter wouldn’t have been so ticked off, however, if Wade hadn’t promised him that his so-called ‘mission’ would only take a week. After he had left, things really began to go downhill for the young hero. The nights he spent in his new apartment were difficult. He’d get rest, yes, but it seemed as though no matter how many hours of sleep he got, he always woke up completely drained of any energy to start his day.

And today was another one of those days.

Peter could feel the bags under his eyes as he reached up to rub them with his hand before grabbing his work clothes. It seemed like no matter how many hours of sleep he got, his exhaustion never seemed to go away. As Peter shuffled his way into the bathroom and looked at his tired face in the mirror by his sink, the brunette pondered that perhaps he may have been depressed. He was showing all of the signs of it, wasn’t he? He didn’t know for sure, but one this was certain. This was all Wade’s fault. It was his fault that Peter was so lonely…

But thinking about that guy at this exact moment wasn’t going to do him any good. He needed to get to work, preferably on time, to avoid that rant from his boss…and that sneer from the new guy.

Peter grimaced as he hung his work clothes on the bathroom doorknob before grabbing his toothbrush and brushing his teeth, loathing at the very memory of that stupid smirk that dumb, spiky-haired blonde would make whenever Peter managed to drag himself into work.

That guy clearly thought he was better than him. Not to say that he didn’t look the part. The new guy’s camera was a lot bigger. And a lot more expensive. And to top it all off, he dressed better, too. Regardless of what the temperature was, the guy always came to work in those expensive collared shirts and professional slacks. He always dressed so neat and clean and always seemed so confident in his work.

Ha! His work…

The new guy also happened to be a photographer for Spider-man. Or so he proclaimed. Ever since the black suited Spider-man made his appearance, the guy had been coming in with some pretty interesting shots. They were good shots, yes. Fantastic even.

But they weren’t real. They couldn’t have been. Because Spider-man _never_ posed for shots for the new guy.

Clearly, they were fakes. _Clearly_. But accusing the guy of photoshopping Spidey shots wouldn’t necessarily give him points with his boss. The last thing he needed in life was to get on J.J.’s bad side. So for now, as much as he hated it, the hero would have to do his best to grin and bear it.

After finishing up in the bathroom and setting his toothbrush to the side, Peter returned to his clothes and prepared to put them on, only to remember that he had not yet put on his new Spider suit.

Peter stripped himself of his boxers and went to grab the black suit that laid puddled on his bedroom floor. Once in his hands, Peter mentally prepared himself to stuff himself inside the tight suit before he began to put his first leg in. It would take at least five minutes to put on.

Peter huffed. Ever since he began wearing it after it mysteriously appeared in his closet one night, the suit had been getting tighter and tighter. He assumed Wade had put it there as a joke and stole his regular red and blue one, perhaps trying to get him to wear something a little more skin tight around the ass area. The pervert. But stuffing himself inside of this damn thing was seriously becoming a chore. It took so long do to. Not to mention how questionably sticky it was becoming. Gross. He wanted to wait for Wade to return so he could get his suit back again, but as the hero struggled to put himself inside the mystery fabric, Peter couldn’t help but consider simply starting from scratch and making another suit…

Once the suit was on and the mask and gloves were securely in his waist band, Peter proceeded to throw his civilian clothes on over top. Once dressed, the brunette finger-combed through his wild hair, put his camera around his neck and grab his satchel containing his photos for the week. Hopefully, J.J. would like what he saw. If his landlord asked his broke ass for rent one more time, he might actually lose any sanity he might have had left.

Fortunately, Peter didn’t run into the greedy landlord on his way out of the apartment, which actually made his long walk to the Daily Bugle building a lot more tolerable. The early spring sun brightened the usually dull neighborhood he lived in. Citizens stood outside of their apartments to enjoy the fresh air, some even waving good morning to the brunette as he passed by. The flowers were beginning to bloom on the rare patches of soil that supported the tall, leafy trees by the sidewalk. Children hustled past him in a hurry to catch their buses, probably excited that they would be getting out soon for their spring break. This time of year was really the best. People were always so much happier in the spring.

So why couldn’t he be happy, too?

Peter could feel the hole in his heart growing wider as the reminder of Wade not being there flooded through his memories again. It wasn’t fair. It just wasn’t _fair_. Peter was never in Wade’s thoughts, so why was Wade constantly in Peter’s? It was so infuriating. He was so angry with his boyfriend. A call, a text message…hell, a _telegram_ from the guy would have made his life so much more bearable. But Wade didn’t seem to want to. Or wasn’t able to, from where he was.

Either way, he missed him so much.

Any joy from being outside in the presence of the spring’s bright sun quickly dissipated at the depressing thoughts as he sluggishly walked through the city. He missed Wade’s intoxicating scent, his body’s heat, his tall height. He missed his constant talking and all of the moronic things he would say. He missed his smile. His hugs. His kisses. His _sex_. God, being without his sex was the absolute the worst sort of torture Wade could inflict on him. He just wished that his idiot would come home soon to hold him tight and finally fuck him out of his misery already. Being celibate really wasn’t his thing.

Despite all of the sluggish walking and depressing thoughts, Peter managed to make it to work only a few minutes late. He stepped into the building’s lobby and forced himself to pause in place, close his tired eyes and take a deep breath. He was at work now. He was upset, yes. He was exhausted, yes. But he couldn’t let that interfere with getting his job done for the day. Thankfully, he was only a freelance photographer, so he didn’t have to stay the entire 8 hours of work like the full time employees, but, a simple meeting with his flamboyant boss would feel like entire work day. Still, he’d have to get through it. And if he was going to stay on his boss’s good side and make it through his small amount of time here, he needed to keep himself focused on working hard to sell his photos, keeping his mood positive, and for God’s sake, controlling his stress-

“Parker!” the brunette suddenly heard someone call out from across the room.

Peter opened his eyes and turned his head to the sound of his name, only to grimace and turn his eyes away from the source of the noise that stood on the far end of the lobby. Great. Fucking great. Of course, amongst the scarce, half a dozen workers bustling through the lobby, the new guy, Eddie Brock, would be there, too. Peter glanced over his shoulder at the other once more, watching as the tall blonde waved his arm at the brunette as he stood in the only functioning elevator in the entire old and crumbling building.

“Come on, man! I can’t hold the door forever” Eddie explained, extending one of his arms to the elevator doors in order to keep them from shutting completely. Clearly, engaging a source of stress probably wasn’t the best way to avoid stress. But Brock was standing in the only elevator, and Peter really needed to get to the top floor. Maybe he could just take the stairs. It was only twenty levels. Anything to avoid being in a small space with that guy.

Then again, it would only be for a few seconds. He wouldn’t have to say anything to him, or even look at him. Besides, if Eddie was still in the lobby, that meant he was sort of late, too. If they arrived at the same time, at least J.J. wouldn’t single Peter out for tardiness.

So, as reluctant as he was, Peter turned towards the elevator and slowly made his way over to it, keeping his eyes on his feet until he stepped into the small space with his fellow photographer.

The doors closed, enclosing the two men in the small space. Peter scrunched his nose, suddenly noticing the scent of cologne wafting off of the other male. He always wore stuff like that, and in Peter’s opinion, a little too much of it. It was probably expensive, just like everything else about this guy. Although, Peter couldn’t deny the fact that it sort of smelled kind of…nice.

But that was beside the point!

Eddie pressed the button to go to the twentieth floor and leaned his back on one of the elevator’s walls. Peter, on the other hand, stood still in the middle of the box, keeping his eyes on his feet as they two men silently ascended.

But the silence wouldn’t last forever.

“So…how’s it going?” the other male began, readjusting the large, name brand satchel over his shoulder before crossing his arms in front of his chest. “Any luck with the Spidey shots?” he asked, Peter’s stomach twisting as he sensed the snide undertone hidden in the blonde’s voice.

Peter narrowed his eyes as he continued to stare at his scuffed shoes, doing everything in his power not to look in the other’s direction.

“Nope. No one’s seen Spider-man for a while” he muttered out for the sake of being polite. Or maybe not. “I guess he finally got fed up with some of his annoying photographers.”

“Oh yeah. I would be fed up, too” Eddie agreed, Peter seeing him nod in his peripherals. “Some photographers just aren’t talented. And throw fits when someone gets the better shot, you know Parker?”

Peter huffed and closed his eyes, already feeling the other’s stupid glare burning holes in the back of his head. Fortunately, this unfortunate elevator ride quickly came to a stop once they finally made it to their destination. Peter exited first, followed by Eddie who stayed rather close as they walked towards the boss’s office.

“Hey. If you don’t have any shots, what could you possibly want to show him?” Eddie inquired, earning only a quick glance from the brown eyed brunette. Why was this guy so interested in what he had? It’s not like Eddie had any recent Spider shots with him, either. That was, of course, if he hadn’t fabricated any up on his computer.

“Parker! Bruce! You’re late!” Peter suddenly heard from in front of him, and looked up. He nearly grimaced at the sight of his gray and black haired boss that stood within the door of his office, the cigar hanging from his lip so big that it was nearly comical.

The two photographers quickly picked up the pace and hurried into J.J.’s office, watching as the door closed behind them.

“Deadline’s coming up and I don’t have shit to put on the front page. I need those shots and I need’em now” the boss announced, stepping over to the front of his desk and leaning against it, crossing his arms and puffing on his cigar. J.J.’s eyes turned to Peter.

“Parker, whatcha got?”

“Uh, umm” Peter began, suddenly caught off guard. The hero reached into his satchel and rummaged through it until he removed the batch of photos he had prepared for him. “Spider-man hasn’t been out all week, sir. These are the most recent pictures anyone has” Peter explained.

J.J. took the pictures from the photographer’s hand and quickly scanned through them. All of them were black suited Spider-man shots. Very rare, well taken, and in Peter’s mind, worth a fortune. His stash would at least yield enough to pay off his overdue rent, he was sure of it.

His boss nodded at a few worth contenders, much to Peter’s delight, and set the pictures to the side.

“And Bruce?”

“It’s Brock, sir” Eddie corrected gently.

“Whatever.”

Peter internally smirked at the other’s interactions, finding solace in the fact that J.J. never could remember this guy’s name. Still, the enthusiastic blonde seemed to stay optimistic, smiling as he reached down to his bag and pulled out a yellow folder. Peter nearly scoffed at the unnecessary organization within it. Though the folder was closed, the brunette could already see the color coded paperclips and posted notes. Clearly, he was trying to show Peter up again.

“I don’t mean to undercut my pal here…” Eddie began, handing the boss the full folder. Ugh, there he goes again. Showing off.

“…but I happened to spot the Spider menace just last night.”

Peter narrowed his eyes at the other photographers, then turned his attention back to his boss. The sight he had witnessed was downright terrifying. A star seemed to gleam in his eye as a mixture of surprise and delight flooded his tense expression. Peter’s world seemed to shatter at his boss’s delight.

“Brock. These are…” J.J. began, and never seemed to finish. It gave the brunette a sick feeling in his stomach. Not to mention boss had finally gotten the guy’s name right! This wasn’t good. It wasn’t good at all!

Eddie crossed his arms, and Peter couldn’t help but feel the smug eyes watching the hero, as if the blonde fed off of Peter’s distress. J.J. continued to slowly run through Eddie’s work, only looking up to the two photographers after the last picture was thoroughly examined.

“I gotta go with…” J.J. began, his old eyes glancing back and forth from the experienced freelancer to the newest edition, before the man’s silver eyes landed on the cheating blonde beside the brokenhearted brunette.

“Brock. I’ll give you $200 for all of ‘em.”

“Yes, sir!” Eddie enthusiastically agreed, reaching out to the boss’s hand and shaking his hand, sealing their lucrative agreement. Peter idly stood by the two, doing everything in his power not to let his jaw hit the floor. He wanted to intervene, to call out the blonde’s sneaky photoshopping, but never ended up finding his voice. Peter hadn’t seen the photos Eddie had presented to the boss, but they must have been pretty great for J.J. to offer him 200 big ones. Peter hadn’t even seen that much money in a long time. And to give that much to that, that _cheater_? It just wasn’t fair…

“My photos gotta be worth something” Peter finally piped up, earning the attention of the two men still in the middle of their handshake. He couldn’t even look Eddie in the eye, already knowing the smug look that must have been there. Instead, he remained focused on his boss, trying to tap into the little bit of sympathy in his heart.

“I-I mean. Even if it’s not the front page. You can still use them, right? They’re good.” No, they were great. They were great photos. But he couldn’t just stand there and debate that with these two individuals. He needed money. Food money. Rent money. Anything to help him get by for the month.

But J.J. and his stingy disposition wasn’t ready to pay up.

“I’ve got all I need here” the boss said, then turned his attention back to the blonde. “The front desk will take care of you.”

“Thanks, boss” he heard Eddie say before he stepped back towards the door and out of the large office. Peter stayed behind, ready to lose every ounce of dignity to push his photos forward.

“Come on, Mr. Jameson. There has to be something you can use. Besides, I have more experience with Spider-man than any photographer here” he reminded as J.J. stepped around his desk and perched himself on his big, leather office chair. Puffing on his cigar, the man said nothing for some time, only examining the desperate hero until leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms.

“Which is the only reason I haven’t offered Brock the staff job.”

“S-staff job?” Peter could feel his mouth salivate at the words. Was there really a staff job opened up for him? What he wouldn’t do for a regular job. For regular paydays! But soon his wet mouth dried up, suddenly realizing that his boss was contemplating on giving that stupid blonde the job Peter rightfully deserved.

“It just opened up. Brock doesn’t know anything about it yet” J.J. explained, then looked to his desk where Eddie’s folder sat. “I was hoping you’d muster up something I could work with, but your pictures don’t even compare. No way in hell I can give you a staff job when he’s coming in with stuff like this.”

Simultaneously, J.J. reached forward and opened Eddie’s folder up to the experienced photographer, who then stared in absolute disbelief at what was there. There was no denying the fact that Eddie Brock had talent. Even if they were photoshopped, it was hard to tell. They were so close, so detailed and focused. Peter couldn’t help but feel a little jealous. No…it was his camera. His camera was more expensive, so of course it meant the guy would get better shots…right?

“You’ve got three days” he heard J.J. say, and looked up from the desk to him. “You get me shots like this in three days, and I’ll consider giving you the job over Brock.”

Peter straightened up at the words. Three days for his best work? No problem. And since Eddie didn’t know anything about the job yet, he was sure to have the advantage. He’d get that staff job for sure. Just as long as Brock didn’t try to show him up again…

“You can count on me boss” he promised before gathering his rejected photos from the desk and stepping out of the room. Peter headed to the elevator, doing his best not to look too hard at the scattered desks and office workers that surrounded the large space. He didn’t want to get his hopes up too soon.

As confident as he sounded in Jameson’s presence, there was still a hint of concern plaguing his heart. The hero looked down at his photos and frowned. Despite what his boss said, Peter truly thought that these photos were worth something rather than nothing. Who else knew how to take pictures of Spider-man other than Spider-man himself?

Clearly, Eddie was a liar. Since Peter didn’t go patrolling last night, it was obvious that Eddie was making the pictures up somehow. But they were good. They were realistic. They were…better.

Peter sighed as he stared at the jumbled photos cradled in his hand, then watched as they fell to the ground, Peter having walked into something without realizing. The brunette looked up at his obstacle, only to find himself staring at the back of the stupid blonde who stole his paycheck.

Eddie turned his head to look over his shoulder and scoffed upon seeing the one responsible for bumping into him.

“Harassment in the workplace? You tryna get sued?” he teased, turning around completely to face the other photographer. Peter narrowed his eyes at the man, then knelt down to gather the fallen photos.

“The only person being harassed here is me” Peter muttered, trying to grab his photos quickly before this guy made him lose his mind. The last person he needed to talk to was this guy. He needed to stay focus on figuring out what sort of pictures to take. Unfortunately, Eddie was persistent when it came to getting under Peter’s skin, and knelt beside the hero to help pick up what Peter had dropped.

“You told me you didn’t have any Spidey shots” Eddie mentioned, handing the disgruntled photographer his batch of pictures, which were promptly snatched back. Peter said nothing to Eddie’s words, and instead stood from the floor and continued to make his way towards the elevator. Too bad Eddie was heading the same way. Peter reached out and pressed the elevator button, glaring at the door and tapping his foot vigorously as Eddie stopped beside him, feeling his blue eyes watching him from above.

“Not that it really matters at this point, but I could see why boss took mine over yours.”

Peter said nothing. Of course he would choose Eddie’s. They were photoshopped…

“If you want, I could give you some pointers for next time-”

“Who’d ever take pointers from you?” Peter huffed back, balling his fist at his side as his sharp eyes glanced over to the annoying blonde. God, this guy was so annoying! As if this novice could teach Peter something. Eddie quickly put his hands up and smiled, as if enjoying the rise.

“Whoa, hey now. No need to get defensive. I only want to help you out…”

Peter turned his eyes away from the blonde, finding the elevator doors open and waiting for him. Peter stepped through, followed by Eddie, who took his time to press the Lobby button. The elevator doors closed once more, and the two men descended the building in silence. How he absolutely loathed being near this guy like this. Fortunately for Peter, there was one good thing that came out of it. Since they were alone now, it wouldn’t be a bad time to call him out on all of his cheating.

“You wanna help me out? Then answer this…” Peter began, crossing his arms and leaning his back against the side of the elevator wall.

“Okay?”

“How long do you think you can hand J.J. those fake shots until he finds out?”

Eddie paused for a moment, his eyes appearing dazed by the question, before a wide smirk fell across his face. The asshole. It wasn’t exactly the reaction Peter expected, though he shouldn’t have been surprised by it. Eddie enjoyed seeing a rise out of the experienced photographer.

“Fake shots?” he repeated. “You honestly think they’re fake?”

“They gotta be!” Peter said, uncrossing his arms to ball his fists at his sides. “Spider-man did _not_ go out last night and you know it. So you can stop lying.”

“Why do you think I’m lying?” Eddie pushed on, even taking a step towards the irritated brunette. “Is it because the boss picked my shots over yours? You’re clearly salty about it…”

“Salty?” What did that even mean?

“Or maybe it’s because the Spider found a more qualified photographer and you’re just…jealous?”

Peter narrowed his eyes, then turned his eyes away from the smug hero. Where the hell did this guy get off? Clearly, the brunette was not jealous of himself as Spider-man, but still, the comment got under his skin. But it wasn’t only that. Peter had called Eddie out on his cheating ways, and the guy hadn’t even blinked. Was his conscious so dirty and defiled that he felt no shame about it?

“You don’t have to be jealous, Parker. I don’t want you to be” Eddie suddenly said, breaking the hero out of his deep thought. Peter blinked, noting the shift in the blonde’s voice, his soft tone still immersed in his ears. The hero glanced up, feeling his body tense upon realizing the Eddie had took a step closer.

“Who said I was jealous, huh?” Peter defended, unable to help but notice his boasting voice had softened as well. “Your little scam is taking food out of my mouth and keeping me from paying rent. And I want it to stop-”

“Then why don’t you let me treat you to lunch?”

Peter paused his rant with his mouth wide open, his eyes so wide that it was a miracle that they hadn’t fallen out of his skull. Maybe he didn’t hear the guy right. Maybe all of this cologne in such a small space was making him delusional.

“I mean, I did just get a fat check. And a new café just opened up across the street from my place” Eddie continued to say. The hero managed to close his mouth again, but wasn’t quite sure how to respond to the other’s words. Did this guy really just…ask him out to lunch!?

Peter opened his mouth, expecting some sort of words to come out, but nothing would. He didn’t know if he should be annoyed by the request or glad. It wasn’t like Peter wasn’t hungry. Because he was. Oh, he was so hungry. If he had to eat another cheap peanut butter and jelly sandwich at his old, crumbling apartment, he was going to lose it. Maybe a free meal wouldn’t be so bad…

…then again, this was Eddie he was talking about. How the hell was he going to keep his food down while eating a meal with this guy? This cheater?

“I don’t like the look on your face…” Eddie suddenly said, and Peter blinked.

“What the hell do you mean-” Peter began, but found himself interrupted by the quiet ding of the elevator. The doors opened, revealing the large lobby on the other side. Eddie stepped out first, the hero watching as the man reached up and dug into the solidary pocket in his collared shirt.

Peter stepped out of the elevator, pausing when Eddie presented him with a small, paper card. A business card.

“Here” Eddie said. “It’s called a business card. You know, for professionals? It’s got my address on it. The café’s right across the street from it. I’ll meet you there at noon.”

“Hey, I never said I was going-”

“I don’t _care_ if you go” Eddie said blankly, even giving the hero a carefree shrug. “It’s your choice. But it’s a free meal.”

Peter didn’t know how to feel, or respond, for that matter. It wasn’t like Eddie was wrong.  Peter would never turn down a free meal. Except it wouldn’t really be free. The money being spent on his food was really the money Peter rightfully deserved. Eddie spending any part of that $200 on him wasn’t special. It was wrong.

Eddie didn’t seem concerned by Peter’s inability to give him a definitive answer. He seemed so calm and nonchalant, and it was pissing the hell out of him. Didn’t Eddie just ask him out? He didn’t seem nervous or persistent or anything. He just seemed, smug. It was sickening.

Peter stuffed the small card in his pants pocket and walked around the carefree blonde.

“Whatever…” he muttered out as he shuffled his way towards the building’s front door. As if he would entertain that guy with his presence…

“Remember, noon” Eddie called from across the lobby before Peter exited the Daily Bugle and entered the sunlight stricken sidewalk. Peter didn’t dare look back at the building as he began his long walk home, trying to ignore his stupid heart that threatened to beat out of his chest.

That guy, always trying to get a rise out of him. Eddie was probably just trying to tease him. He couldn’t have been serious about asking him out for lunch. He was just joking, wasn’t he?

But, that didn’t make any sense. Peter reached down to his pants pocket and pulled out the business card. Why would Eddie give him all of this information if he was only teasing? His name, his number, his address…wait, what?

Peter paused in the middle of the sidewalk, reading through the card’s words over and over again until he recognized he wasn’t dreaming. Eddie, he lived there? In the most expensive and high class condominium in New York? Sure, the guy just walked away with $200, but being a freelancing photographer wasn’t exactly a lucrative career. How could he afford a place so pricey?

The hero pondered for only a moment before he shook his head fiercely. Why the hell should Peter care? Scammers like Eddie Brock probably had a bunch of different ways of making money. Besides, it’s not like the guy couldn’t have lied about where he lived. He’s lied about his pictures. Why not this, too?

Even so, the card looked very convincing. Even a frugal guy like Peter could tell that Eddie’s laminated, gold font card was expensive. It even had some of Eddie’s cologne on it. Even as Peter held it away from his face, the hero could still smell the blonde’s scent…

Peter took a quick glance around him, ensuring that no one was watching him before raising the card up to his nose and sniffing it. His face burned at the very idea of doing such a thing, but for some strange and unknown reason, he wanted to. The card smelled so good. The cologne, despite how much Eddie wore, was admittedly nice, and made his heart flutter at the smell of the scent. It must have been expensive.

Maybe, Eddie really was rich…

A pedestrian walked by, giving the hero a peculiar look that screamed ‘you look like a nutjob’ before Peter realized that the card was still up to his face. Peter lowered his embarrassed eyes and stuffed the card back in his pocket. Even if Eddie was rich, it was probably all stolen money. And a guy like Peter couldn’t get involved in someone like that. Eddie was shady. And the brunette wouldn’t dare to entertain the cheater and thief with his presence at lunch.

Not that he even wanted to go to lunch with someone like Eddie Brock. Ha! As if. Seriously, come on. Who would want to have a free, delicious, high class meal with someone like him? Besides, Eddie was like, and Peter was like…there’s just no way it would…right?

Peter sighed, continuing to walk back to his old apartment complex, preparing his taste buds for another dull, peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Maybe he’d try to get some sleep, too. He didn’t have plans on going out tonight for patrols, so he’d have plenty of time to catch up on some well-deserved sleep.

If only his pride would stop getting in the way. A free meal would have been so nice…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Maybe a part two of this flashback? I'm not exactly sure how to proceed yet, but when I figure it all out, I'll post it right away! Thanks for your patience so far, and all of your comments so far!
> 
> (P.S. I know I promised smut. I really did try, but this flashback was dragging on and I didn't want to make yal wait any longer for it :c Forgivenessss?)


	8. Edward Brock Jr. (Pt. 2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiatus? What hiatus? (Sorry for the wait! Life kept me away from the keyboard. Plus I'm graduating soon so there's just a lot of stuff on my plate. Hopefully, the next chapter won't take as long. Enjoy!) C:

Peter looked down to the watch strapped around his wrist and stared as time continued to tick by. It was finally noon, and against his better judgment that warned him to stay away, Peter Parker found himself drawn to the new café he had been invited to in order to meet up with his narcissistic coworker. Customers of the eatery filed in and out of the café doors, walking around the stagnant brunette who looked and felt so out of place beside the business-savvy patrons.

The nervous brunette bit his lip and readjusted the strap of his bag around his shoulder.  He must have been out there for at least fifteen minutes, going back and forth with himself as to whether or not he should even entertain Eddie’s invitation with his presence. It’s not like he liked Eddie, or remotely enjoyed his company. If anything, he hated the arrogant bastard more than anything. But the fact remains: Peter was sick of his loneliness. He had been without a conversation with another human being for so long that he felt on the edge of madness. Perhaps having a conversation with another human being would bring him back to sanity, even if it were with his worst enemy.

Besides, he wasn’t ready to face his landlord about his nonexistent rent payment just yet…

As difficult as it was, Peter took a deep breath and finally build up enough courage to enter the fancy café. To Peter’s surprise, the cafe was surprisingly small and intimate, full of black suited businessmen and women who murmured under the hum of classical music. Peter took a moment to scan the cafe and was able to spot Eddie Brock almost immediately. He was sitting by the window on the farthest end of the room, a steaming white mug cupped between his palms, his eyes staring into his cup as if he were in a daze.

Peter stood by the front door for a moment, watching him in silence, mesmerized. He didn’t understand it, but he could feel his heart skip a beat the instant he laid eyes on him. A constricting force tightened around his thumping chest as he stared at the other man from a distance, watching the sunlight gleam through the window against his perfect skin and bright hair. He hadn’t noticed it before, but, Eddie was sort of… _beautiful_. Almost like an angel…

Peter blinked, analyzing his thoughts before furrowing his brow and shaking his head. An angel? _Really_? Eddie was far from it. He could admit that he looked, nice, but Peter knew that the pretty male sitting across the room was nothing more than the arrogant bastard that had no remorse for stealing his paycheck.

Eddie must have felt Peter’s eyes on him because he looked over in his direction and grinned at the sight of the brunette. Peter stilled, caught. No turning back now…

The blonde lowered his cup.

“Parker…” he called quietly from across the room, raising his arm and waving him over. Peter sighed despairingly before he slowly made his way over to him, doing his best not to look in his general direction. Having lunch with his mortal enemy…what the hell was he doing?

“And here I thought you’d gone and stood me up” Eddie teased as Peter pulled out the chair on the other side of the table and took a seat. The brunette glanced over to the blonde and narrowed his eyes before cutting them down to the menu that laid in front of him. Just eat and leave…

“Free meals don’t come around too often, unfortunately” Peter greeted, scanning through the menu. “Plus I assumed you felt a little guilty about stealing my paycheck, so feeding me was the least you could do…”

“Ha! That’s right. Because I ‘photoshopped’ those pictures? I almost forgot about that…”

Peter glanced up at Eddie, opening his mouth to defend his stance on the accusation, before sealing his lips and raising the menu up to hide his face. He really needed to behave himself until Eddie paid for his food. He needed to be cordial…for now.

The table was quiet as Peter skimmed through the many options the café had. It was hard to focus, though, seeing as Peter suddenly found himself surrounded by the intoxicating cologne that emitted from the other male. Without too much thought, Peter breathed in the air just to get a whiff of his sweet scent, and smiled in delight behind the menu. Eddie smelled so good…why had Peter not noticed how nice his scent was before?

Peter enjoyed the smell as he made a decision on what to get. Since Eddie was paying, Peter had no trouble waving a waiter over and ordering one of the most expensive sandwiches available.

Unfortunately, the waiter stole the menu from Peter’s hands after ordering, leaving the brunette in full view of the coffee sipping blonde on the other side of the table. Peter did everything in his power not to look at the other male, but he couldn’t help but feel his piercing eyes staring a hole into his face.

Peter finally conceded and looked back at the other male, sporting a confused and defensive frown.

“Why are you staring?”

“I’m not” Eddie insisted, lowering the mug to the table and looking into the steaming liquid inside the cup. “I just can’t believe you actually showed up. I’m kinda glad you did.”

“I still don’t get why you’re being so polite all of a sudden. What are you up to?” Peter asked, suspicious, then frowned deeper when a thought suddenly occurred.

“I hope you’re not planning on bragging about your check, because if you are-”

“I didn’t invite you here about that” Eddie promptly interrupted, his eyes linking with Peter’s again, and the brunette paused. He couldn’t help but hold his breath when he noticed the way Eddie looked at him, his blue eyes gazing into his brown ones, looking into soul and stealing his thoughts away from him. What was that look?

Thank God the bizarre connection was broken when the waiter returned with Peter’s cup of soda. The hero looked down to his drink and quickly began sipping on the straw there, focusing in on his cup like it was the most interesting thing in the world.

When he finally came up for air, Peter kept his eyes low to the table, too nervous to make eye contact with him again, too confused by the feeling.

“Then why _did_ you invite me?”

Eddie scoffed.

“Isn’t it obvious?” he responded, and Peter glanced up just in time to see the other male’s wide grin take over his face.

“To _date_ you, dummy.”

Peter paused, taking a moment to process the words before a wave of fire ran up his neck and covered his face. He…he said date, right? As in, dating? The two of them? Together? On a _date_!?

Peter blinked, suddenly realizing that he had been staring at Eddie’s face as his confused mind scrambled for a reasonable explanation for Eddie wanting to date him. The smile on the blonde’s lips was unchanged, but his eyes, they looked so intrigued, so captivated as they examined Peter’s ever-changing expression.

“Your face is turning red” Eddie noted quietly. “Isn’t that cute. You’re shy…”

“Who’d be shy of you? And who are you calling dummy?” Peter rebutted, looking down to his drink again and taking another sip from it, hoping it would cool the fire burning against his cheeks. It wouldn’t. Now that he had time to process his situation, it was quite obvious that this was a date. Eddie gave him his number. He was paying for his meal. A meal in an expensive café. How could he not see that this was a goddamn date?

“It’s okay, Parker, really…” Eddie said with the shrug of his shoulders and a sip of his drink, so nonchalant as Peter did everything in his power not to freak the hell out. “I get it, I’m intimidating. But you can relax around me. I won’t bite.”

Eddie put his elbow on the table to hold his chin up with his hand and smiled at the other male.

“You still look kinda nervous, Parker. Relax. Hey, how about we break the ice, huh?” he suggested. “You tell me a little something about yourself and I’ll do the same.”

Peter nervously scoffed, still doing his best to look at anything else other than the blonde.

“You’re interviewing me now?” the brunette responded in a less than confident voice, much to the delight of the observing blonde, who chuckled quietly in response.

“Well, yeah. That’s what you do on dates, right?” he asked. “I want to get to know you better. What? Is that so bad?”

Peter’s eyes shifted back and forth from his drink to his ‘date’ several times before he sighed. As confusing as all of this felt, it didn’t feel like Eddie was teasing when he said he wanted to learn more about him. If anything, he seemed genuine, and in a small way, Peter could sort of appreciate that. It had been so long since he had a conversation with another human being other than his boss or his aunt. Maybe this meeting would be good for him, after all.  Besides, there was no harm in just talking, right?

So, without enough of a reason to leave, Peter made the decision to stay and chat with the confident male. At first he was hesitant in telling Eddie his story, but as he progressed Peter realized just how good of a listener the other male was. He was so easy to talk to. It was like he actually sort everything he thought he knew about Eddie. The guy was supposed to be self-centered and arrogant but here, in this setting, he was so much more polite. A gentleman, even…

Peter told Eddie a lot about himself, about his childhood, his high school experiences. He even went as far as to tell him about Uncle Ben, something Peter wasn’t in the habit of chatting about. But with Eddie, Peter found that talking about the hard times was easy. He supposed not having anyone to talk to for such a long time made it hard to shut up. Fortunately, Eddie didn’t seem to mind it.

Peter didn’t realize that his food had arrived until his hand brushed against his plated sandwich as he reached for his drink. The man paused his storytelling to look down and struggled to keep the drool from falling out of his mouth. His plate looked as pretty as a picture. A sandwich that wasn’t old or covered in jelly... God, how long had it been since he enjoyed a real meal like this?

The brunette glanced up to the other man, whose eyes were still stuck on his.

“Go ahead” Eddie insisted, waving his hand over to the untouched food. Peter smiled, and didn’t wait another moment before reaching for his food and taking a bite of his delicious meal.

“You’re not gonna eat?” Peter asked, noticing the missing plate in front of the other male, but Eddie only shook head.

“It’s fine, sweetheart. Don’t worry about it. Just enjoy your food.”

Peter lowered his eyes, doing his best to ignore the fact that Eddie had just called him ‘sweetheart.’ It was strangely satisfying to be called a pet name. It was sweet, and Peter almost felt a little special. It must have meant that their date was going well. Their date…this was still a date.

Peter glanced up at Eddie as he chewed his food, watching him as he watched him back, and frowning at the uncomfortable silence that suddenly surrounded their table. Technically, Peter could leave Eddie right now. He could take the food, walk out of the café and trot home with a free meal in tow, but, now that he was here, he realized that he kind of _wanted_ to spend a little time with Eddie. He was easy to be around, when he wasn’t being an asshole, of course, and Peter wouldn’t mind spending a little bit more time talking with the other guy.

“Your turn” Peter said, finally breaking the long string of silence. Eddie frowned, as if confused by the request.

“My turn?”

“Yeah. I told you about myself. Now you go.”

Eddie smiled and leaned up in his seat, putting his elbows up against the table and supporting his chin with the back of his folded hands.

“Alright.”

In turn, Eddie told Peter about himself. As Peter suspected, Eddie was rich. At least, his family was. According to Edward Brock Jr., his stuffy parents expected him to be a doctor or lawyer, but Eddie loved photography and journalism too much to follow that path. Despite his family’s wishes, he started working at the Daily Bugle making chump change. Peter obviously wasn’t thrilled at the story. While Peter struggled to put together a meal with his lousy check, Eddie had income from a wealthy family. He had plenty of money, yet still stole away the brunette’s paycheck just about every week. But setting aside his anger with a deep breath and a bite of his sandwich, Peter found himself strangely proud of Eddie for never giving up and following his heart.

“J.J.’s an ass, yeah, but working for a newspaper had been my dream. I don’t see myself doing anything else but nabbing shots of Spider-man in my free time…” Eddie finished up, staring at his cup and smiling at the reflection there. When Eddie finally looked back up to him, Peter, on instinct, turned his eyes back to the destroyed sandwich in front of him, embarrassed to be caught staring again.

“Looks like photography’s the only thing we’ve got in common” Eddie pointed out, and Peter nodded. It was true. In a way, they were like polar opposites…

The table grew silent around the quiet chatter of patrons around them. Peter was never good with small talk when it came to dates, and couldn’t think of one thing to say to the other male. Fortunately, Eddie seemed to have an easier time talking.

“Hey, let me ask you something.”

Peter looked up from his plate, noting the smile on Eddie’s face had shifted into an even wider one.

“Yeah?”

“Are you seeing anyone right now?”

Peter felt his body still in place, and he gulped. That’s right. Going on dates meant that both parties were supposed to be available, and obviously, Peter was dating Wade.

Then again, maybe it wasn’t too obvious. He hadn’t seen the guy in weeks now, let alone talked with him. Peter understood he was busy on his missions or whatever, but it’s not like Wade _needed_ to go. He had plenty of money. It’s just the killing he enjoyed. It gave him a rush. And Peter, Peter was second to that. Still, he couldn’t just sit here and lie about his relationship with him. Peter was with someone else, happily or otherwise. And needed to come clean about it…

“…it’s complicated” he opted to say instead, and though not a complete lie, the shame he felt about not being one hundred percent honest made him feel just as shitty.

Eddie, on the other hand, smiled happily at the response.

“Complicated” Eddie repeated, accompanied by a quiet scoff. “Looks like I should help make it less complicated, then.”

Peter felt his face burn at the notion. He wanted to believe Eddie was just teasing, but his blue eyes made it clear how serious he was. At first, sitting with Eddie like this was exclusively for the free food, but now, this was getting sort of, dangerous. He needed to put a stop to it, to make it clear that he was in a relationship. A happy relationship...

But, was he happy?

If he was happy, he wouldn’t be here, sitting in this seat, mesmerized by Eddie and his proposition. The very fact that he was considering his happiness with Wade meant that something was missing in his life. And the feeling he got from sitting in front of this other man, he liked it. It was wrong to like it, to like this…to like him, but even if he denied it, deep down he knew it was true. He couldn’t help himself. He wanted to make his life less complicated. He wanted more of this feeling. He wanted to see where this would go…

Peter bit his lip, feeling the adrenaline rush through his blood when Eddie continued to stare, never taking his eyes off the other man as he waited for a response.

“H-how would you do that?” he finally asked, almost whispered. The blonde took one last sip of his drink before reaching into his pocket and pulling out the money for the waiter. After setting cash down on the center of the table, he shrugged his shoulders and asked Peter,

“Why don’t you let me show you?”

Peter found himself unable to say anything to this. He doesn’t know what it means, or what it will involve, but he’s so curious to find out. He wanted to see what Eddie meant, he wanted to go down further into the rabbit hole, much more than he probably should have. Maybe an adventure with Eddie would be better. Maybe even better than Wade…

Without any more thought, Peter slowly nods his head, timid and afraid but excited all the same. Eddie, in turn, grins at the silent answer.

The two men left the cafe after the waiter picked up the cash Eddie left. Eddie’s place was directly across the street from them, so it only took a moment to walk over there. Though, to be completely honest, Peter was quite shocked to realize that this was where Eddie planned on taking him.

“This is your place…” Peter said as they walked past the doorman and stepped into the lobby. He tried his best not to focus in on the fact that everything looked new and expensive, much different from the old wood, stained ceilings and hit or miss electricity back at his crumby apartment complex.

“Yes” Eddie confirmed as they walked over to the elevators, Peter following the other at a distance.

“W-why are we at your place?”

The elevator doors opened and the two men step inside. Once the doors closed, Eddie leaned back against one of the walls and crosses his eyes, still sporting that smile of his as he answered the nervous brunette.

“For dessert.”

Peter bit his lip and said nothing else. He should be scratching at the elevator doors trying to get out, but he just stood there, silently panicking, trying to break out of the excitement and adrenaline that forced his body to stay in place. God, this was such a bad idea…

“You look shy again” Eddie suddenly mentioned, and Peter looked over to him. The man stepped closer to his side, grinning, plotting, and it made Peter’s heart flutter just seeing the way he stared at him.

“What do you think I’ll do to you when we get up there?” he quietly rumbled. “You think I’ll bite?”

Eddie turned to face him, uncrossed his arms, and raised a hand to place under the other’s chin. Peter shut his eyes, nervous and worried, but couldn’t ignore the fact that the smooth fingers against his lonely skin felt good. Unexplainably good.

Eddie hummed, and the rumble of his voice sent shivers down his spine. He was barely touching him and yet, Peter could compare the feeling he had to one he’d get during foreplay. His body was getting hot. Why was his body getting hot? Why did it feel this good? Regardless of why, it did, and Peter couldn’t control it. Constriction wrapped around his entire body, notably his twitching groin, and he shuttered. This feeling, and the scent of Eddie’s cologne engulfing the air he breathed, it was all intoxicating…

Before the feeling could continue, the elevator dinged, and Eddie’s lovely hand fell from the other’s chin. Peter opened his eyes, just in time to see a satisfied grin on the Eddie’s face before he turned and stepped out of the elevator and onto the 16th floor.

Peter’s red face frowned in embarrassment. This was such a bad goddamn idea. He was such a terrible person for liking such a thing so much. Even so, Peter followed Eddie out of the elevator and walked with him until he finally reached his condo door.

Eddie inserted his key and let the door swing open. Peter stepped in first after a wave of Eddie’s hand, and did everything in his power to control his jealousy. The space was huge, so pretty, so expensive…

“Try not to drool on my floors” Eddie instructed after a scoff. Peter huffed at the arrogance and closed his mouth, suddenly realizing that his jaw must have dropped.

After shutting the front door, Eddie set his bag down in the nearby corner and stepped deeper into his condo. Peter did the same, setting his bag beside Eddie’s and following the other man a few feet away, too afraid to get close, too worried that another touch might lead to something he wouldn’t be able to escape from. He’d have to be careful…

Eddie stepped into the kitchen and went into the refrigerator there. Peter paused, standing closer to the door than the other male.

“You like wine, right?” Eddie asked from behind the refrigerator door. Wine? He’d never had wine before. And getting drunk really wasn’t something Peter thought was a good idea.

“Well, I’m only 20, so…” he said, hoping the innocent excuse would be enough of a reason for the other not to offer him alcohol. Instead, Eddie looked back at Peter, shaking his head and letting out a loud, boisterous laugh.

“You’re funny…”

Peter blushed, feeling slightly embarrassed again as Eddie pulled out two unopened glass bottles of wine, one red, one white, and set them on the table in front in the center of the kitchen. Peter stared at the bottles, examining the sleek design and unfamiliar brand name. Peter may not have known anything about wine, but he could tell these bottles were expensive.

“Have a seat, Parker” Eddie insisted as he stepped over to a nearby drawer and pulled out a corkscrew.

“Um…”

Obviously, Peter couldn’t help but feel a little hesitant. Being in this place, drinking alcohol...Peter wasn’t an idiot. He knew where things were probably headed. This…this was getting very dangerous now. He shouldn’t be here. He should go home. Peter turned his head to glance over to the door just a few yards away, wanting so badly to run through that door and sprint home, to leave Eddie and all of this weirdness behind him, so why did he find himself pulling out one of the living room chairs and taking a seat instead?

Eddie approached the seated brunette’s side with the corkscrew in hand. “You haven’t lived until you’ve had wine” he explained, taking hold of the red wine bottle and stuffing the corkscrew into its cork. “Not that cheap stuff, either. Don’t ever drink that. This, this here’s the real deal.”

Peter nodded, his eyes glancing back and forth between Eddie and the bottle. He could feel his face twist in discomfort as he considered the implications of getting tipsy in this situation. His eyes glanced over to the front door again.

“You really don’t have to drink it if you don’t want…” Eddie quietly said, earning the other’s brown eyes again. He looked a little disheartened by Peter’s expression, whatever it might have looked like. It was the first time he’d ever seen Eddie less than confident.

“That’s not it…it’s just…I dunno if I should be…” Peter tried to explain, but a full sentence refused for form. Eddie watched on, silent, until a confident smile returned to his face and he continued unscrewing the bottle.

“You think I’m gonna get you drunk? I won’t” Eddie promised, popping the cork out and setting the bottle down on the table. “I’m a responsible adult.”

Peter did his best to smile, not necessarily believing the Eddie’s promise, but giving him a nod nonetheless. Eddie stepped to a cabinet and pulled out two glasses. After setting them in front of Peter, Eddie poured a small amount in one of the glasses and set the cool bottle of red wine onto the table.

“This is a really sweet red wine. I’m no expert, but I think a beginner like you will like it.”

Peter nodded, his eyes never looking away from the glass. Eddie really hadn’t poured a lot in. There was no way he could’ve ever gotten drunk off of it, so maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea. Besides, he was only tasting it…

So, hesitantly, Peter grabbed the glass by its neck and raised it to his lips, tilting it up until a drop stained his lips and left its flavor on his tongue. As Eddie said, the wine was sweet and easy to take down, though the taste of alcohol wasn’t really something the brunette was a fan of.

Peter glanced up, noticing Eddie had returned to his fridge again.

“Well? Was it good?” he asked with his back turned.

“…yeah” he admitted, though, he would have enjoyed it more had he not been so nervous about being up here with another man. Even so, Peter reached out to take another sip of his drink, finding that the small amount of wine had eased his nervousness and helped him relax. It was a feeling he wasn’t used to, and Peter couldn’t deny that he enjoyed it quite a bit. He supposed being this thin and so new to alcohol meant that the drink was easy to affect the lightweight.

Just as he lowered the glass from his lips, Peter heard something clink on the table in front of him. He looked down, spotting the porcelain plate that held a freshly cut piece of cake. Peter blinked, examining the dessert for quite a time before he turned just in time to see Eddie take a seat in the chair beside him, sitting closer to him than he needed to sit.

“The bakery next door has the best cakes. I’ll take you there sometime” he said happily as he poured himself a glass of red wine, he smiling in the hero’s direction before instructing him to,

“Go on. Red wine goes good with chocolate.”

In a way, Peter was relieved at the offer. It meant that Eddie actually meant he was offering Peter dessert instead of…something else. On the other hand, he felt guilty all the same. He really shouldn’t be happy to take dessert from a man who he had tried to date for a free meal, a date he should have never participated in. It’s just that Eddie was so tempting. And to be here like this, alone together, it felt so peaceful, so nice, so relaxing…he liked this feeling.

Even so, it wasn’t right. This was classified as cheating. He was a _cheater_ , and he was going to become even more of a cheater if he didn’t leave this place very soon. It was time to come clean. It was time to go…

Peter lowered his hands to his lap and kept them folded as to keep them from fidgeting.  He kept his eyes low, too ashamed to look the blue eyed male in the eye, too afraid to see the disappointment that certainly would have been there when he finally told him the truth.

“Eddie…” he whispered, watching his thumbs as they rotated around one another. “…I shouldn’t…we shouldn’t…”

“Shouldn’t have cake?” Eddie finally interrupted when Peter was unable to say any more. Peter promptly shook his head.

“Not that…” His face was burning. This was so embarrassing...

“Then what?” Eddie pushed on, moving even closer to the nervous male, and making his heart throb. He was getting too close. “What? Is it your, complications?”

Peter furrowed his brow.

“Don’t make it sound like some sort of disease…I just…I…”

Peter shook his head, racking his brain for the right words. He wanted to run for the door so badly, but his legs, they wouldn’t listen. They wouldn’t move, and instead remained planted in place on the floor, leaving he hero stranded in a world of embarrassment and regret.

“I’m trying to _un_ complicate your life” the blonde reminded, and Peter frowned. Eddie wasn’t doing that at all. He was being sarcastic. He was clearly making it worse, though, it was so tempting to believe that dating him, being with him, choosing him over what he had now would be less problematic…less painful.

Peter shut his eyes and took a deep breath, finally finding the right words to get him out of this situation.

“I appreciate what you’re trying to do, really, but…” Unfortunately for Peter, Eddie was quick to interrupt.

“Then maybe you should be a little more grateful.”

Peter huffed and opened his eyes in annoyance. Damn Eddie and his arrogance. He wanted to say something, to call him out on his ego and his smart mouth and his uncomfortable closeness. But he wouldn’t. He wouldn’t get a chance to, Eddie’s face having suddenly leaned in so close as to crush Peter’s unsuspecting lips with his own.

With wide eyes, Peter stared at the blurry sight of Eddie’s face in front of his, his body too shocked to pull away immediately. Eddie’s lips…oh God, they were so soft, so gentle and yet powerful enough to force Peter to stay in his place. That sensation from the elevator…it was coming back again, and he couldn’t help but moan at the ecstasy that smothered his skin. He wanted to deny the feeling of his pounding heart, tumbling stomach, tightness around his groin…he wanted to ignore the quiet whisper in his mind that told him that it was okay to kiss mate, that it was okay to enjoy mate’s company, that it was okay to not be lonely, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t ignore this feeling, he couldn’t ignore these thoughts.

This kiss, it was probably the best kiss he’d ever had…

Eddie leaned a few centimeters back, just enough to break their connection.

“Was it good?” Eddie whispered quietly.

Peter watched, dazed, as Eddie watched him, the blonde staring into his soul, stealing the answer from the hero’s mind before he would say a word. The blonde leaned forward again and shut his eyes, gently pressing his soft, smooth lips against the brunette’s once more. Peter’s brown eyes fluttered closed and he hummed in delight, relishing the warmth and sensation he had been without for so long. There was no denying it. There were no more lies he could tell. This kissing, this connection, it _was_ good. Sssso good…

Peter pushed deeper into the kiss, pressing his body forward, letting his hands reach up and take hold of the other man’s collared shirt to keep him close. God, Peter swore he could’ve gotten drunk off of this connection. Or maybe it was the alcohol or the atmosphere or, his scent. His intoxicating cologne. He couldn’t get enough it. Why was he enjoying this so much? Why did he want him so badly? It was like he was addicted…

Peter felt Eddie pull back from their kiss, breaking their connection to catch his breath for only a moment before the brunette yanked him forward, forcing their lips to smash together once more. Peter’s cock twitched and stiffened under his pants as he continued to desperately suck the air out of the blonde’s lungs. All he could think, feel, smell, taste was Eddie. He wanted him more than he wanted anything in the world, and he couldn’t control himself. It was like he was in a frenzy, his mind completely engrossed in testing out his new mate.

Obeying his body’s desire to connect, Peter absentmindedly stepped out of his chair and straddled across the other’s male, entrapping the blonde beneath his thighs. With his hands still grasped on his shirt, Peter smothered Eddie with his body, pressing his torso and his hard-on against the front of the warm, inviting body in front of him.

Mate squirmed and struggled beneath Peter’s weight, making quiet and desperate sounds as he did, but Peter was too engrossed in obtaining a full connection to recognize that Eddie was struggling for oxygen. Instead, the hero continued to satisfy his body’s urges, grinding against the squirming male’s front and allowing an eager purr to rumble against the other’s lips.

Buttons on mate’s shirt popped and fell to the floor as Peter yanked harder on the expensive fabric, opening up the lovely view of what hid underneath of it. Only then did Peter pull back from the blonde’s mouth to examine the new sight, finding satisfaction in the sound of gasping and heavy panting mate was making. Their kiss left mate breathless…

With Eddie’s shirt open like this, it was easy to spot the smooth, undamaged skin surrounding his broad shoulders and perfect chest. Peter bit his bottom lip and smirked, unable to look away from his exposed male in front of him, and found himself salivating. To see skin that wasn’t damaged or scarred, it was so unusual to him, and yet so satisfying. If Eddie’s skin looked this good, there was no telling how nice it must have felt, how it must have _tasted_ …

“Jesus, Parker…” a breathless voice interrupted.

Peter blinked, glancing up at Eddie’s blue hued face upon hearing his words, only to find himself suddenly hit by the biggest wave of embarrassment he’d ever felt.

It’s not like he remembered crawling into Eddie’s lap the way he had, but that’s exactly where he was. With his legs straddled over his hips, his raging hard on pressed firmly against his belly button, and the line of drool rolling down the side of his chin, Peter’s face burned with absolute embarrassment and humiliation.

What the hell had he done?

“I’m sorry. Your shirt…”

Without another word, Peter quickly stumbled out of Eddie’s lap and scurried back into the farthest side of the condo, nearly tripping over his own feet in the process. With his back firmly pressed against the wall, Peter stared wide eyed at the seated male, examining his confused and startled expression before an intrigued smirk slid across the blonde’s face.

“I can’t believe it” he stated through a chuckle, looking at the hero from head to toe. “You’re _horny_ as hell!”

Peter also took a moment to examine himself, only to gasp at the sight of the tent growing in his pants. The brunette lowered his hands to his crotch to cover his shame, but the damage was already done. Eddie scoffed and chuckled at Peter’s poor attempt to hide his horniness before standing from his chair and stepping over to him.

As if on instinct, Peter slid away from the encroaching male, sidestepping across the wall towards the condo’s exit. Peter might not have understood why he had become so hard over a little kiss, but he did understand this: if Eddie had the power to make him feel like this over something so small, it would be easy for the blonde to send the horny brunette over the edge. He couldn’t let that happen.

So Peter continued to move away from the approaching male, stepping backwards out of the kitchen and making his way closer to his one escape route. Eddie, on the other hand, seemed to enjoy Peter’s reaction, smiling cunningly at him as he continued to step forward.

“Hey. Where are you running off to?” he asked, the hint of amusement in his voice hard to miss. Peter glanced back at the front door, and then towards the other male. Only a few yards away…

“I gotta go-”

“You’re gonna go outside looking like that?” he reminded, and Peter frowned. There _was_ a huge tent in his clothing down there. It was quite obvious that he was hard, but, even so, it would have been more awkward to stay here like this compared to being gawked at by random citizens on the street.

“I can’t stay. I’m sorry…I shouldn’t be here…” he continued to insist.

“But you _are_ here, Parker.”

Peter huffed in annoyance at Eddie’s persistence, but stopped in place when he felt the back of his foot hit something on the floor. It was his satchel. Thank God, he had made it to the front door. As quickly as humanly possible, Peter gathered his things, wrapping the satchel and camera around his shoulders before wiping his red lips clear of any wetness.

“It was a mistake.”

Eddie raised an eyebrow and scoffed at the response. Even Peter thought his words were harsh, but, at this point there was no other option. He felt like a real scumbag for leading Eddie on like this, but he had to get the hell out of there before he ended up doing something even worse…

“A mistake, he says…”

“I’m really sorry…” Peter quietly said, reaching behind him and wrapping his fingers around the doorknob there. He twisted the metal in his hand, cracking the door open for only a second until Eddie’s palm pressed the exit closed again. Peter froze again, suddenly finding himself trapped in a corner, caged between Eddie’s hands that pressed against the wall by both sides of his head.

“Ha! Actually, you’re really _horny._ There’s probably a good reason for that.” Eddie promptly corrected. “But even though your impotent boyfriend can’t take care of business back home, you’re still worried about what he might think if he finds out, am I right?”

Peter shook his head, absolutely denying what he knew to be true. Not the impotent portion, of course, but other than that, Eddie could see right through his façade. But no matter how obvious it was, Peter wouldn’t dare admit the truth. He was in a relationship, and admitting that he enjoyed being a cheater was something the hero wasn’t strong enough to do. Unfortunately, Eddie wasn’t going to let Peter get away with that. Why did he have to be so damn persistent?

“Eddie…please…”

“Please what?”

Peter glanced up to the male, and promptly turned his attention back down to his feet. This close, it was easy to see the irritation building up in the other’s expression, despite the amused smile plastered across his face. Eddie almost looked a little pissed.

“You can lie all you like, but we both know you kissed me because you wanted to…and Peter, there’s nothing wrong with that.”

Against his better judgement, Peter looked up again, the soft tone accompanied by his quiet voice peaking his curiosity. As he looked up at the other man, a hand brushed against the side of Peter’s face and he stiffened. Eddie’s fingers gently traced the side of his jaw, slowly running down his face until they paused at his chin, keeping Peter’s face tilted upwards to ensure he wouldn’t look away from him again.

“What _would_ be wrong is to leave here denying that you might have actually liked spending time with me. I’m not gonna let you do that.”

With that, Eddie lowered his hands, freeing Peter’s escape route home. But instead of scurrying towards the door and dashing for his apartment, the blushing brunette stayed there, frozen, as if captivated by Eddie’s words. It was almost like he could read his mind.

Eddie leaned forward and Peter held his breath, scared that another one of the blonde’s kisses would be all it took to send him over the edge. Peter shut his eyes, waiting for his lips to be smothered by the other’s gentle ones, but relaxed when he felt Eddie’s mouth press against his forehead.

“I know you’ve got a lot to think about, and, well, a lot of things to _handle_. So I think it’s best if you do go. But I don’t want to end our first date on a bad note” he said against his bangs, his voice so genuine and kind. Peter couldn’t help but be soothed by his words. “I had a lot of fun, and I want to see you again sometime.”

Peter nodded, finding himself in a perfect position to see everything that hid beneath Eddie’s torn shirt. It took him a moment to realize that he was smiling again.

“I gave you my number. Use it, okay?”

“Sure thing…” he quietly confirmed, then glanced over to the side at the sound of Eddie’s hand twisting the front door’s doorknob and pulling it open. Peter stared out into the hallway, presented with a clear route home, but found himself having trouble leaving the condo he had been so adamant about escaping from. Maybe he didn’t want to go back home. Home was a pretty lonely place, after all…

Even so, Peter clutched the satchel’s strap wrapped around his shoulder and forced himself to step out the door, keeping his eyes on Eddie until he made it out into the hallway. Already, he felt detached and alone, a feeling he hoped would be gone by the end of their meeting. Instead, the thought of going home alone without a source of comfort nearby seemed to amplify those negative emotions.

“Goodbye…” he struggled to say.

“See you soon, Parker” Eddie quietly said, smiling as the door slowly closed, obstructing the beautiful sight from Peter’s eyes as it finally thumped shut. And with that thump ensued loneliness, and unexplained sensation of solidarity that plagued his thoughts and made him frown.

But just as fast as it appeared, Peter’s frown shifted into a smile, remembering that Eddie would be waiting to receive a phone call from him. Peter covered his wide grin with his hand as he made his way down the hall and towards the elevator. Despite all of the betrayal he had been guilty of, Peter couldn’t help but feel…happy. When was the last time someone made him feel that way?

Eddie was such a sweet person, so kind and patient. Peter couldn’t deny that he wanted to see him again. Hopefully this weekend, too. He couldn’t wait…

Peter dug into his pocket and pulled out the business card he had been given earlier, ensuring that he still had it with him. Maybe he’d call him tomorrow for dinner. Or maybe they could simply hang out and take pictures of the city. There were so many possibilities, so many fun things he could do with Eddie. It felt nice to know that there was someone on this planet he could spend time with, to get to know better, to connect with. Even if it were wrong, it felt good, and Peter deserved to feel good for once.

And so Peter continued down the hall, a smile on his face and a spring in his step, stepping back to his apartment, satisfied with the security that he was no longer alone in this world anymore.

 

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The smile on Peter’s face would not last long as the reality of what he had just done finally sunk in. As he walked home through the bustling city with his face red and erection still full of life, his once optimistic daydreams about the blonde had shifted into despairing nightmares about Wade. Peter grabbed the sides of his head and groaned, unable to comprehend what his boyfriend would say and do if he were to find out that his sweet baby boy was out kissing other people behind his back. What the hell was wrong with him? What the hell would possess him to kiss another person? Eddie’s spell was finally wearing off, and Peter was coming off of his high. Suddenly, cheating wasn’t as glamorous as he once felt, and it was tearing him up inside.

Perhaps Eddie was right. Perhaps Peter was just really horny. Not having sex for so long meant that the frisky hero was liable to hump anything that moved. Apparently, that included his worst enemy, too. He was just glad that his kiss with Eddie stopped before things got more complicated. Even so, he did still kiss him. What was worse was the fact that Eddie actually liked Peter, meaning that Peter would have to do a little heartbreaking in order to get out of the situation he had put himself in. Great. A cheater and a heartbreaker…

Peter approached the front of his apartment building, but paused in front of the doors as he remembered that his rent money was still due. His landlord was probably in there, lingering around Peter’s door, as he had been accustomed to doing when the brunette owed money. Instead of stepping into his building, Peter walked around it, entering the dark alleyway that contained the apartment’s fire escape.

As quietly as he could, Peter jumped up and scaled the creaking metal steps until he stopped in front of his window. From there, Peter carefully slid his window open and stepped inside, doing his best to avoid the squeaking planks of wood that covered his old floors.

After sliding the window shut and turning on his lamp, Peter set his bag and camera to the side and promptly fell face first into his awaiting mattress. He had nearly forgotten how tired his body was. All of his drama wasn’t exactly helping that feeling, either. He needed to sleep, to get some much needed rest and figure out what the hell he was going to do and say to lessen the blow he was getting ready to hand Eddie.

Even so, his body wasn’t going to let the hero fall asleep easily. Not with his cock keeping him awake like this and Eddie’s intoxicating cologne tainting the clothes he wore. Even alone, Peter felt like Eddie was still present with him. The brunette could still feel the other’s body pressed against his front, his breath ghosting over his lonely lips, his seductive voice lingering in his ears. Peter should feel guilty about cheating. So why couldn’t he get Eddie out of his goddamn mind?

Peter reached down and ran his fingers over the front of his pants, finding pleasure in the gentle touch. God, he must have been really horny. That touch felt good, too good, like the skin over his penis was tingling. In all of his life, Peter couldn’t remember the last time he felt this hard. He was so erect that it was almost beginning to feel uncomfortable, and he simply couldn’t understand it. Had Eddie really turned him on that much? Well, it wasn’t like the guy wasn’t handsome. Who wouldn’t that guy turn on? His face, his lips…God, his chest was just so perfect…

Peter furrowed his brow and vigorously shook his head, suddenly realizing that he was fantasizing about the wrong person _again_. If he were going to be horny, he had to be horny for the right person. Wade was that person. Wasn’t he?

“Of course he’s the right person…” Peter reassured himself, though he didn’t necessarily believe his own words. Wade might have loved him, but Peter was tired of competing with the mercenary jobs for Wade’s attention. Whether Peter would admit it to himself or not, he knew deep down that being with Eddie was potentially the ideal option. But he couldn’t decide.

He felt so conflicted and almost a little scared. How much longer could he lie to himself? How much longer could he lie to Wade? He didn’t want to break anyone’s heart, but he knew that being with two people wasn’t the right thing to do. He had to choose. But, what if he made the wrong decision? What if he stayed with one and found himself unhappy again? He didn’t want that. He was afraid of that.

There was no easy answer to this conundrum. The only thing Peter could really do was hope to get some rest and have an answer by the time he woke up. Peter turned his attention to the clock and noted the time. 3pm. Feeling the way he did, he probably wouldn’t wake up until the next morning, leaving him plenty of time to analyze his life choices.

But there was a problem. Peter was still hard, and falling asleep in his condition was impossible. He needed to handle it.

So, ignoring his racing, conflicting thoughts, Peter sat up from the comfort of his bed and began to strip himself of his civilian clothes, unbuttoning his shirt and pants and tossing then across the room. Removing the black Spider suit was the hardest to take off, as usual. The suit seemed to stick to Peter’s skin as the brunette peeled the rubbery fabric from his body.

After minutes of struggling, Peter finally freed himself of the sticky suit and promptly tossed it to the center of the floor.

Finally naked, Peter looked down to his body to access his problem area. His cock was so erect that it pressed flush against the bottom of his stomach. As Peter stared at himself, he couldn’t help but note that this feeling, this erection, this arousal was all because of Eddie. To see what the smallest of kisses had done to him was so concerning that Peter wasn’t sure what to think. If a kiss could do this, he couldn’t imagine what a little more would do to him.

Peter laid down on his back and reached under his mattress to grab the small bottle of lube hiding there. With a flick of his thumb, the cap was open, and the hero tilted the bottle over to pour a generous amount of the slick liquid onto his awaiting hand. With his hand thoroughly lubricated, Peter spread his naked legs slightly and reached in between them, sliding his palm over the soft skin until his fingers brushed against the tight, anticipating hole there.

Peter bit his lip and whined quietly, letting his head fall back into the pillow behind him as he squirmed against his own touch, tasting the remnants of Eddie’s kiss against his mouth. How long had it been since he was touched there? Weeks? A month? Without his boyfriend here to give him attention, his body had become tighter and more sensitive than he was used to. Simply pressing his index finger against his hole made his body quiver and his cock twitch for some attention, too.

Obeying his body, Peter poured more of the cool lube over his demanding piece of flesh before tossing the bottle to the side and wrapping his fingers around the base of his cock with his free hand. As he continued to press and prod against the sensitive hole, the hero stroked his dick slowly and passionately, thoroughly spreading the slick liquid across his length and over his tip, easily pulling a moan from his parted lips.

“…fuck…” he breathed out, quickening his pace, blushing at the forgone feeling and the sound of the sloppy noises his dick and hand made. Peter shut his eyes and writhed against his own fingers, the sensitivity of his needy cock and wanton hole taking full control of his thoughts. He couldn’t help but wonder if Eddie would like to touch him his way, too. It was easy to imagine Eddie playing with his body like this, kissing and touching him all over until the squirming brunette couldn’t take it, saying something shrewd with his low, hypnotic voice and calling Peter by his last name.

Peter moaned at the thought, liking it, wanting it. Before long, the finger that rubbed against his anus circled around the soft, delicate skin until he finally took the plunge and inserted the tip of his middle finger inside his constricting body.

It didn’t hurt, but the feeling wasn’t comfortable. He was tight, like it was his first time putting something up there. It was this feeling that prompted Peter to move slower and carefully, making sure to spread the messy lube throughout his insides, making it easier to explore deeper into himself.

All the while he continued to handle his cock lovingly, jacking himself off quickly and then pausing to massage and caress his stomach and chest, reaching up further to fiddle, flick and pinch on his nipples, wanting to prolong this feeling that he had been without for so long.

Peter shut his eyes and pushed his finger deeper inside, stretching his tight hole more and more, until his finger was knuckle deep inside his ass. Feeling bold, Peter pushed another finger inside and moaned at the additional pressure, wiggling the appendages against the constricting walls, searching for the magical place inside his ass that would make him see stars.

He wouldn’t reach it. His prostate was deep inside, deeper than his fingers could reach. Peter whined to himself in disappointment. Wade could hit his prostate easy, but by himself, it was an impossible feat. If only Wade were here, right now, in this moment, he would pound his special spot until the small brunette was wailing for mercy…and Peter could imagine just how Wade would do it, too.

The mercenary liked to take advantage of the hero’s flexibility. While Peter laid naked on his back, Wade would hover over him, thoroughly examining and worshipping each and every inch of his nude body before taking hold of the back of Peter’s legs, spreading them wide, and pushing his knees up to his chest, leaving the hero’s most sensitive parts completely vulnerable, defenseless, and in full view of his boyfriend.

Peter smiled at the lovely thought. Mimicking the mercenary, Peter timidly spread his legs further and raised his knees to his chest, much like Wade would, and opened his body up for the ceiling to see. Even alone, this position was embarrassing. He felt so exposed and susceptible and yet his discomfort felt strangely arousing. Laying like this, it was easy to imagine Wade being here with him, positioned between his thighs, laying over his bare body, his scarred skin touching all over, his lovely, disfigured cock resiliently pounding into his needy hole until Peter was screaming him name.

The thing was, Peter could imagine doing the same thing with Eddie, too…

Without realizing it, Peter quickened his invading finger’s pace, thrusting them harder and faster and making him moan.

“…Wade…” he breathed. “…Eddie…Wade…” he repeated over and over, chanting their names as if they were really there, as if they were both there, together, taking turns feeding the desperate hero the pleasure he wanted. God, was he really this horny? Such a shameful and greedy thing to think…but he did…and he loved it. Peter lowered the hand that teased his nipples back down to his anxious, throbbing cock and resumed jacking himself off. With one hand busy pounding his anus while the other pulled at his penis, his body began to heat and sweat as his panting mouth struggled to keep his constant moaning under control. Adding a third finger did nothing to help keep him quiet, but at this point, he didn’t care. He wanted to feel more, feel fuller, like someone was actually there to give him what he needed.

Peter furrowed his brow and jacked his dick off faster, harder, more vigorously. His back arched against the bed beneath him as a wave of euphoria trickled through his body and made his toes curl. Peter bit his lip, hard, hoping it would shut him the hell up, but there was simply no silencing him. He mewed out several moans as the pressure in his body grew into a feeling he recognized all too well.

The precum dribbled from the tip of his penis as the hero’s hand continued to go to yank hard on it. His body twisted and squirmed against his mattress, his fucking fingers thrusted hard and knuckle deep, each gasp of air was infused with the melody of his lively moaning. God, it felt so goddamn good…

Peter could feel his face burn as the pressure quickly continued to build. He squeezed his eyes shut and focused, keeping his hands’ tempo up and making the most out of the feeling. He was gonna cum. He could feel it running through his body, building up in his groin. He was coming. He was close…so close…he was coming…!

Peter’s head snapped backwards even more as his body quivered and squirmed before tensing to a standstill as a string of hot liquid exploded from the tip of his cock and painted the hero’s nude stomach white. The hero’s moan was probably loud enough to shake the room. Weeks upon weeks of ignoring his cock and finally the pressure was gone, spread across his smooth stomach, and spoiling the once clean brunette.

The wave of euphoria hit him fast and hard, running throughout the entirety of his body and leaving him panting for air. His hands stilled in their current position, one resting around the base of his dripping cock while the other enjoyed the twitching contractions of his ass.

After relishing in the sensation for some time, Peter finally lowered his legs back to the bed and rested. The relaxed hero finally opened his eyes again, staring at the old, cracked ceiling that hovered above and smiled at the show he had given it. Such an embarrassing thing to do by himself and yet Peter enjoyed it so much. He supposed being without the feeling for so long meant that he was easy to please with an attentive hand and a few extra fingers.

Peter looked down to his body, examining the mess he had made and found himself a little surprised. Slowly, he pulled his three fingers from his hole, humming at the lingering sensation, until he was empty again. From there, his fingers reached up to touch the many puddles sprinkled across his stomach, somewhat amazed that all of the mess had really come from him. How long had he been holding it in like this?

Perhaps now that his body’s pressure was gone, he’d have an easier time clearing his thoughts and getting some sleep. He could admit to feeling tired now, and wouldn’t mind falling asleep in his bed just like this, naked, filthy, and satisfied.

But Peter knew better. His bills hadn’t been paid. He couldn’t risk the chance of his slumlord shutting off in his amenities and leaving him in the dark…again. He’d enjoy a nice shower now, maybe one of the only showers he could get from his home for a while, before falling asleep and taking a long, well deserved nap.

Against his body’s wishes, Peter sat up from his bed and kicked his legs over the side of the bed. He stood, his body trembling as the bottom of his feet pressed against the cold, wood floor beneath him, before making his way over to the bathroom. The white mess dribbled along the length of his stomach and he hummed. There was something so satisfying about being this filthy, walking around naked and covered in cum. Still, he didn’t want to make a mess of his room, so the hero raised his palms to his stomach to catch any puddles that strayed too far down.

It was only upon looking down at his body that he noticed something strange about his apartment, so strange that it caused the hero to pause in the middle of his room and stare in confusion at his bedroom floor.

Something was amiss.

Peter scanned the floor closely, noting the things that were there…and the things that were not. His satchel and camera were still by the window where he put it, his civilian shirt and slacks were still in the corner where he had tossed them…

…so where was his suit? He stripped all of his clothes in the middle of his room and yet, all of his clothes were no longer there. Peter furrowed his brow and made a complete 360 degree turn, scanning the floor for his missing suit, and freezing when his eyes finally made contact with it. He was certain that he had tossed it to the floor, so why did the hero spot the missing suit crumbled atop his dresser, the mask that was once stuffed in his slack’s pockets now drooped over the edge of the old piece furniture? Peter’s confused eyes stared back at the eyes of the mask as it laid there, so out of place but now so still, as if it had always been there.

The hero blinked, then stepped over to the black outfit. Using his cleaner hand, Peter reached out to pick up the once missing suit, examining it in silence before giving it a perplexed frown. Maybe it was just his imagination. After all, he was pretty tired. Maybe he moved his suit to the dresser without realizing he had done so. It was the only logical explanation Peter could think of, so it must have been the reason for it being here.

Still, leaving his suit out in the open like this probably wasn’t the best idea. Since he already determined that there was no way he’d be out webslinging tonight, the hero carried the black suit over to his closet and placed it in the far corner, keeping it hidden beneath the closet’s shadows before shutting the door closed.

Peter stood at the door for a moment, still questioning the odd placement of the suit, before shrugging to himself and continuing his journey over to the bathroom. Clearly, he was going nuts, so hopefully this nap will help him gain his sanity back.

But first, a shower.

Once inside the bathroom, Peter shut the door behind him, stepped into the small shower and slid the glass door closed. He reached up to turn the knob and smiled in relief when warm water fell from the showerhead. Thank God, his water was still on. For now. Peter closed his eyes and let the relaxing flow wet his skin and clear the sticky mess painted across his gut. He reached up and ran his fingers through his wild hair, brushing over the unkempt strands until they were neatly smoothed back and out of his face.

Peter took his time washing over his body and hair, keeping his eyes closed as the soap suds ran over his relaxed face and washed away any lingering dirt or stress that might have been there, relishing this moment, as he was unsure as to when he would get the chance to enjoy it again. Peter opened his eyes and inhaled the warm steam that floated throughout the small space and clouded around him. He felt so calm, so peaceful, so carefree, even when two men and hundreds of dollars worth of bills hung over his head.

After his stomach was clean and his hair was washed, Peter shut his water off, dried his body with a nearby towel, and returned to the main living area. As he rubbed the towel on his wet hair, Peter went through his satchel to pull out his cellphone. He hadn’t checked it in a while, and the hero tried to make a habit of keeping an eye on it. Just in case Wade ever decided to call him.

There were no missed calls or messages, as Peter expected, but there was still one last thing he needed to do with his phone before he fell asleep. Tossing the towel to the side, Peter walked naked to his pile of civilian clothes in the corner and rummaged through his pants pockets. From them emerged the business card Eddie had given him, still novel and covered in Eddie’s sweet cologne. Smiling, the hero stepped over to his bed and tucked himself under the covers.

Wade might not want to call Peter, but Eddie probably wouldn’t mind. Since Peter hadn’t given the blonde his number yet, he could at least text him his information, just in case Peter did work up enough courage to meet up with him for another date.

As he laid in bed, Peter inserted Eddie’s phone number and saved it. He then texted the male his name, ensuring that they both had each other’s information.

Thirty seconds later, Peter jumped, the vibration in his phone startling him. When was the last time his phone did that?

Peter looked to his screen, and couldn’t help but scoff. He didn’t believe it. It only took Eddie thirty seconds to respond back to his message.

‘Great. Figure out what u wanna do this weekend’ it read.

All the while, Peter hadn’t noticed the smile slowly stretching across his face. He could image the way Eddie’s voice would say those words. He couldn’t wait to get a chance to hear more of that voice the next time they met up. And hopefully, that would be sooner rather than later. Despite his fears and concerns about his future, Peter felt sort of…good…to have someone he could talk to. It felt less lonely.

Peter rolled onto his stomach and buried his face into his pillow before he finally, _finally_ shut his tired eyes to try and get some rest. There were still so many things he needed to consider before he could even think about going on another date with Eddie. Things like Wade. Things like his secret identity. Things like the repercussions of dating a co-worker. Perhaps Eddie wouldn’t look like the perfect knight in shining armor after he considered all of those things with a well-rested mind. But even so, Peter hoped deep down that he felt the same way about his fellow photographer in the morning. He liked the way he felt when he was with Eddie, and he hoped that his peculiar life would allow him to continue to test the waters of love and commitment to Eddie Brock Jr.…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, this flashback will probably require another chapter. Hang in there, it gets good!


	9. Data

Peter wasn’t sure what exactly he was feeling, but his heart monitor made it clear that it probably wasn’t healthy. Even so, Peter couldn’t stop the feeling growing in his chest, whether it was anger or fear, or simply confusion.

“Important: Open Now” was what the message’s title read, the text sitting beside the address of the sender’s email address. Next to  _Eddie Brock’s_  email address.

But…Eddie Brock was really Venom, right?

Venom had sent this message. Venom had sat down at a computer, found Peter’s email address and found a way to type a message with its fat fingers and elongated claws…

Peter nervously scoffed. It was the only thing he found funny. Everything else was just…confusing. Especially the date.

Peter read over the message details closely, noting that the email had been sent just a few minutes ago. What? Peter had very recently received his laptop from Aunt May. How the hell could Venom have known Peter would see the mysterious message…? Peter held his breath and turned his widened eyes to the window, scanning the skyline for any sign of Venom’s presence. He was being watched…it was the only explanation…wasn’t it?

Peter stared out the window for at least a minute, scanning each and every shadow of the bright orange scenery before concluding the monster was not there. But it had to be? How else would Venom know to e-mail him?

…Unless, this wasn’t Venom after all. Perhaps the message from Eddie Brock was really sent by someone else. Perhaps even… _Eddie_   _Brock_.

Peter blinked, testing his logic, needing to poke holes through his reasoning because it simply didn’t make any sense. He had just seen Eddie with the symbiote. He was still under its control…right?

It’s not like Peter could have forgotten that creature showing up in his room the other night. No doubt that he had encountered Venom with its huge body, sharp claws, ghostly eyes…

Peter gasped, pausing his internal conflict as a new thought came to mind.

Venom’s  _eyes_ …

Peter could feel his face twist in confusion as he recalled the creature’s face from last night. He had nearly forgotten about its eyes…how they looked so different from before. Smaller…softer, even…

Everything else looked like the Venom he’d come to fear, but, why were its eyes so different?

And it wasn’t just that.

The more Peter thought about it, the weirder Venom’s  _actions_  last night became. When Peter woke up, it was laying over his chest like it was resting over him, or maybe even listening to his heartbeat. And when Peter got out of bed, the creature caught him just as he was ready to fall. It hugged him. It kissed him. It  _apologized_  to him. It was almost as if it were trying to be kind. Venom would have never acted that way. Never. It was almost like Venom…

…Venom was a completely different person…

Peter sat in his bed in silence, allowing the thought to sink in for a moment. A different person…was it possible? He supposed it was. Venom certainly had the capability to switch hosts at will, but was that the case now? Had Venom, for whatever reason, released Eddie Brock and moved on to someone else?

It all made sense now…well, some of it.

But if this was all true, that meant that someone else was responsible for putting him in the hospital. For drugging him. For  _raping_  him. Eddie was the only person Peter knew who had the motive to hurt him in that way. So if Eddie wasn’t responsible, then who? Who else would want to hurt him like this? Another villain, perhaps. But to go this far…

Peter huffed in annoyance. All this deciphering was giving him a serious migraine. If only he knew what happened to him. If only he could find out…

…but maybe he could.

The patient glanced down to his computer screen once more, staring at the highlighted email waiting for his attention. Were all the answers to his question just a click away? After all, Eddie was the last person Peter knew that had the symbiote. He  _had_  to know something about what was going on. If anyone could shed light on everything Peter was missing from his memories, it was him.

Peter reached down, running his fingers over the touch pad on his laptop, but stilled just before clicking. Something about making contact with Eddie, even if he was free of the symbiote, was starting to make him feel sick. Just because Eddie wasn’t a monster anymore wouldn’t erase the countless fights they had when he was. After everything this person had done to him, why would he engage in making any sort of contact with him?

But at the same time, the curious part of him wanted to see what Eddie had to say. Besides, what other choice did he have? He  _needed_  to figure out what the hell was going on, who was responsible for assaulting him, and make sure whoever this person was wasn’t hurting anyone else.

Peter took a deep breath, bracing himself, before finally clicking on the mysterious email. What he was met with was somewhat, unexpected.

“What the hell…” the hero muttered as he read the message inside:

 

 

 

**Hey,**

**I heard through the grapevine that you woke up. I’m happy to hear that. I was so worried. A lot has happened since you fell asleep. There’s so much I need to tell you, but part of me wonders if you’ll believe any of it. The last thing I want to do is lose any more of your trust.**

**I can’t imagine how you must feel right now, getting a message from me. I was told you lost some of your memories, so I can’t be sure if you imagine me as your friend or an enemy. Whatever you think of me, just know that I still care about you, and I want to make sure you’re safe.**

**I know it seems silly of me to ask you to trust me. I’m almost certain you wouldn’t believe me if I told you everything that I know. So I won’t waste my words. I’ve attached photos to this email that I think you need to see. Hopefully they will speak for themselves.**

**What you will see won’t be easy to swallow. You’ll probably want to take time and process it all. Problem is that you don’t have a lot of time. The darker it gets, the more dangerous things get for you. I wish there was more time to explain, but there isn’t. The situation has changed and I can’t afford to let you stay in that hospital. Not another day. It’s imperative that you call me as soon as you get this, okay? I mean like, right now. We need to discuss the next step by phone. I have a place.**

**I look forward to hearing from you.**

**\- Your friend, Eddie**

**P.S. Keep everything you’ve just read to yourself. I don’t trust anyone at that hospital and neither should you. Stay safe”**

 

Peter froze at the end of the message, his eyes stuck on the vaguely familiar phone number at the bottom of the message.  As straight forward as the message was, Peter still had trouble digesting the information Eddie had just fed him. It was almost seemed like the blonde was trying to be…helpful?

But, why?

Weren’t they  _enemies_? They fought each other, nearly to death, and yet Eddie had no trouble referring to himself as a friend. He didn’t remember ever making amends with Eddie. There was no way he would have forgiven the blonde to the point where they were friends again. But there Eddie was, emailing him this message…worrying about him…

Peter shook his head and forced himself to shut the laptop, a thought suddenly coming to mind. Just how in the hell did Eddie know he was in a coma? How did he find out that he had come  _out_  of it? Peter furrowed his brow, suddenly curious as to how the blonde learned of his medical condition…and if he was somehow involved in it. For a message that was so straightforward, Peter was finding himself more confused than ever before.

Peter frowned, realizing just how much faith he had put into the mysterious email. Eddie wasn’t exactly someone he could trust. They were bitter enemies, so why the sudden change of heart? For the blonde to contact Peter when he was in such a dire need for help…for him to know about the coma…it didn’t add up. Was Eddie  _stalking_  him again? Did he have alternative motives? As far as Peter knew, the blonde and the creature were working together, trying to lure the vulnerable hero into a sense of security. How could he be sure this wasn’t some sort of trap?

He couldn’t. There was no way to be sure.

But as the blonde mentioned, there was no real expectation that Peter would…or should, trust his  _words_.

Peter opened his laptop again and glanced down, his eyes focusing on the two attachments listed at the bottom of the email. If he couldn’t believe the message, then maybe he could believe the photographs…

Unsure what the expect, Peter scrolled down to the bottom and stared at the first attachment. “Day 12: Tracking to its apartment” the title stated.

Peter slid his finger across the mousepad and hesitantly clicked on the first attachment, not sure what he should expect to uncover when he stiffened at the sight of the revealed photograph. A thousand racing thoughts overflowed his confused mind as he tried to make sense what he was looking at.

What he saw was a photograph of Venom, prowling through dark, snow covered streets in the middle of the night, his back turned to the photographer who sat just a block away. From what Peter could see, the photo was taken through the driver’s side window of a car. Eddie…was he was hiding when he took this photo?

Perhaps the blonde and the creature weren’t working together, after all…

Peter clicked on the photo’s icon, enlarging it for a better view. Bad idea. Just seeing the monster up close was enough to give him chills down his spine. Even on his tiny laptop screen, Venom was huge, and strangely enough, looking more horrifying than ever. And it wasn’t just because the monster looked pissed.

It must have been too dark in Peter’s hospital room to notice, but with the help of the nearby streetlight in the photograph, Peter could see that in addition to its elongated limbs and sharpened canines, Venom also looked as though it had developed a serious skin problem. Cracks and crusty scabs littered its large, considerably paler skin. It almost looked…painful.  What the hell was going on with it? Was it sick? Was it because of the change in host? But who? What sort of host would have the power to make Venom’s skin look like…

Peter felt his heart jump, and he quickly slammed his eyes shut.

That thought just now…

Before he could go back and process the strange thought, Peter cut his eyes away from the image and forced himself to chuckle. What the hell was he thinking, speculating like this? It was just a photo…a bad one at that. It was hardly enough to draw a conclusion…especially from a guy he really shouldn’t be trusting. Peter clicked out of the enlarged photograph and turned his attention to the other attachment. Just one more photo left to go through. He slid his trembling finger over the mousepad and tapped on the second link, silently praying that the next picture would debunk his theory.

It wouldn’t.

Instead, the next photo would only exacerbate the idea that Peter had been missing the truth by a longshot. The title of the attachment was enough to raise the hairs on the back of his neck.

“Wade and unknown in apartment – do you recognize?”

Peter found himself rereading the title over and over again, assuming he had misread the text. There was just no way Eddie had taken a picture of Wade. Wade was out of the country…right? That’s why he hadn’t visited, hadn’t returned any of his calls. He was too busy…

Wasn’t he?

Peter reached up and ran his trembling fingers across his throbbing forehead, surprised to find puddles of sweat forming there. In all of his life, he couldn’t recall a time when he felt this anxious. Taking a deep breath, Peter forced himself to remember that none of this could be trusted. The emails, the attachments, it all came from an untrustworthy source. Eddie was a liar…a good liar…so anything he was about to see was still up for debate.

He nodded to himself, finding solace in the empty words. With his hands shaking, Peter slid his finger across the mousepad and tapped on the hyperlink, opening the attachment that would leave him speechless.

It was a photo of Wade’s apartment window, taken from what must have been the rooftop of the next building over. There was no denying it was Wade’s home; the hoard of garbage, katanas, and guns scattered across the floor and couch was hard to miss.

So what the hell was  _Venom_  doing there?

Past the filthy window’s glass, Peter could see the large creature standing hunched over in the center of the living room, its beady eyes locked on the second figure standing just a few feet away from it. Unfortunately, the angle of the photo cut off the head of the second person, leaving only the man’s green pants and yellow boots in view…

Wait…

Peter stared at the figure, finding the obnoxious colors so familiar, like he’d seen them before. It would only take him a moment to realize that the strange man in the photo was wearing what looked like a Hydra uniform.

The more he examined the photo, the more obvious the colorful uniform became. But the revelation would only add to the long list of questions. Like why? Why would a hydra lackey visit Venom in Wade’s apartment?

Then again, maybe it wasn’t that hard to put all the pieces together. Perhaps part of Peter didn’t want to.

Because the more the hero stared at the photograph, the more he realized just how much Venom reminded him of… _Wade_.

 

Peter shook his head, needing to erase that idea from his mind. There was just no way it could be true. Wade…he would never…why would Wade…no. He couldn’t be the one…

But…

…as Peter opened his eyes and stared at the photograph of the creature so at home in his boyfriend’s apartment, as he examined the familiar scars scattered across the creature’s body, it was hard not to come up with the obvious conclusion.

No matter what angle he looked at it from, there was no getting around the fact that the symbiote had to be someone who was close to him, close enough to get roofies in him…someone who would be attracted to him, attracted enough to want sex…

God, this was starting to get scary. There was only one person who met all of those criteria. But part of him still didn’t want to admit it. He couldn’t.

The hero continued to try and rule out the horrifying theory, doing his best to ignore the tight knot growing in his gut, suddenly understanding why Wade had been missing all of his desperate phone calls.

Peter didn’t know when it happened, how it happened, or why it happened, but Venom…the Venom that had been visiting him every night, the Venom that had kissed him, the Venom that had licked him in such an intimate place, must have found a way to bond with…with… _Wade_ …

Peter lowered the computer screen and set it to the side before pulling his knees into his chest and wrapping his arms around his legs. As he sat there, rocking back and forth in his hospital bed, he continued to do everything in his power to try and debunk it himself. But he simply couldn’t.

Venom couldn’t have been anyone else but his  _boyfriend_ …

It was so hard, thinking of Wade in those circumstances, suffering with that thing engulfing his body. If it really was him beneath of Venom, that meant that he’d been in that state for at least three weeks now. God…was he okay in there? Was he still himself? The longer he stayed with that thing, the less of himself would remain. He’d go crazy in there. And Peter, he couldn’t just sit there and allow Wade to wash away into an even powerful wave of insanity. He wouldn’t!

But he was still scared. Peter was sure he was right, but what if he wasn’t? What if Eddie was making all of this up? Laying false clues…sending him photoshopped images…luring him into some sort of trap. He couldn’t trust Eddie. He couldn’t trust anyone except…

“Peter?”

Peter jumped, startled by the muffled voice that had called out. The voice, accompanied by two gentle knocks on his hospital door, was easy to put a face to. The door creaked open, allowing his smiling nurse to step inside. Dave’s smile would quickly fade, however, as one look at the patient’s face filled his dark eyes with concern.

“Everything okay?” Dave asked, stepping up to the side of the patient’s bed. “What’s wrong?”

Peter forced himself to smile, but his attempt wouldn’t last long. The heavy weight bearing down on his heart warped his energy and kept him from keeping up the façade. Instead, Peter simply turned his face away and nodded, keeping his worried eyes on his open laptop.

“I’m fine” Peter tried, thinking it best to keep what he learned to himself. Who knew how his nurse would react if he found out what stress-inducing things Peter had been researching on his computer.

Dave hummed suspiciously, obviously not believing the patient’s cover story. As the nurse stepped closer, Peter quickly closed his laptop shut, hiding the incriminating evidence.

Peter tensed as he felt Dave’s hand reach out and cup the side of his face, running his thumb across the trembling skin on his cheek and earning the patient’s eyes again.

“Really?” the nurse questioned, his eyes still serious as he examined Peter’s expression.

“Then how come you look so…sad?” he asked. Peter looked away again and responded with a lackluster shrug, not sure if he could trust his voice at the moment. He felt bad enough about the e-mail, and Dave’s pestering was hardly helping. He wished the nurse would just drop it. But like the dedicated caregiver he was, he wouldn’t stop until he knew the root of his patient’s discomfort.

“Come on, Pete. What wrong, huh? You can tell me” he continued to push. “What, did something happen with your job?”

“No…Dave, seriously. I’m fine, okay? I’m just…tired.”

Dave fell silent for a moment. He could feel his eyes watching him, examining his turned face, searching for the truth. After a while, the nurse sighed and took a seat on the edge of the hospital bed.

“You know, Pete,” he began. “I came in here because I saw your heart rate spike. So obviously, it’s a little more than that. And based on the way you’re acting, I’ve got a feeling it had to do with your monster.”

The monitor at his side jumped momentarily.

“I’m right, aren’t I?” Dave asked, his eyes cutting over to the implicating spike.  “What were you doing just now? On your laptop?”

“Nothing…”

“Come on. You don’t have to hide anything from me” Dave insisted. Peter watched from the corner of his eye as the male reached out for the computer in his lap, and on instinct, grabbed the nurse’s wrist.

“I said it’s nothing” he repeated more sternly, his eyes finally meeting up with the nurse’s worried ones, not noticing the tears that blurred his vision until they started streaming down his face.

Peter had never seen Dave look more mortified.

“Peter” he said urgently, retracting his impeding hand and raising it back to the brunette’s cheek. “Peter, please talk to me. What is it?” he continued pushing. “Look, whatever’s bothering you, you’ve gotta tell me. You can’t bottle it up like this…come on, you can trust me. I won’t tell anyone. Just…don’t cry, Pete. Please.”

The patient wiped the tears as they fell, not sure where they were coming from, or why they came so suddenly. Peter grabbed his chest, assessing his heartbeat manually. The machine was right, his heart was racing. He was working himself up into a heart attack…

Perhaps the nurse had a point. Allowing all this confusion and anxiety to stay pent up like this couldn’t have been good for his health. He might as well tell Dave everything he’d seen on the laptop and ask him what he should do next. He needed his advice. And, more than that, he was beginning to feel lonely and scared, and Dave…he was good at making that feeling go away. He had to tell him…

Peter opened his mouth to speak but found himself completely silent. He racked his brain for the right words to say, the right place to begin, but nothing came to mind. Nothing, of course, except…

“Wade…”

Everything that was wrong could be summed up in one word. “I’m…worried about Wade.”

He could feel Dave’s hand continue to run along his damp cheeks, wiping away the last remnants of his tears before releasing his face.

“Why?” Dave asked gently. Peter shrugged and shook his head.

“I just… I think something happened to him” he began, shutting his eyes and huffing. “He’s…he’s not answering his phone and he hasn’t visited…and now I’m thinking it’s because he might be in trouble…I think something bad happened and I don’t know how to help and I’m scared-!”

Peter opened his eyes and quieted down at the sound of the nurse’s consoling. “Take a deep breath, you’re okay…” he instructed until his frantic patient stopped. Though the nurse had looked mortified before, his eyes had become softer, more sympathetic. As Peter took a moment to catch his breath, Dave’s hand reached out and encouraged the patient to lean closer. Peter blinked, uncertain, but found his body gravitate towards the nurse’s open embrace until the side of his check was rested again his shoulder.

It felt, strange, especially as Dave’s hand reached around and pressed against the small of his back. But as strange as the hug was, it was oddly satisfying. When was the last time he had been held like this? There was hardly anything intimate about the touch, but, it was almost just as satisfying. It felt good to be hugged. Was that really all that he needed? A little human contact? Peter’s shut his eyes and covered his face with his hand, not sure whether to be embarrassed by the hug or grateful.

“You’re stressed. You’ve had a long day and you’re tired” was the nurse’s prognosis.

Peter forced out another chuckle hoping to laugh through his embarrassment. “No kidding” he said, followed by a deep breath. “Sorry” he sheepishly said, leaning up from the other man’s shoulder and moving back, only be forced back into position by Dave’s second hand, strategically placed on the back of the patient’s head to keep him in place.

Peter said nothing, not sure what to make of what was happening.

“You’ve already got so much on your plate” Dave noted. “The last thing you need to do is be worrying about someone else.” Peter’s hidden face frowned, but reluctantly nodded his head in agreement.

“If you’re going to worry about something, it should be about your health. You’ve got recovery and physical therapy and getting your life together…don’t waste your energy on him. He can take care of himself.”

As much as he wanted to believe that… “No” Peter sighed, shaking his head. “I don’t think he can, this time. You don’t understand, I think he’s in real trouble-”

“He’s fine, Pete” Dave quickly cut off. “You’re the one in the hospital. Stop thinking about what’s not here and focus on what you have now” Dave insisted, tightening his grasp around the patient’s waist before muttering under his breath, “Everything you need is right here.”

Peter body stilled, feeling the uneasy expression take over his face. This…this wasn’t just a friendly hug, was it? Something about this embrace was off. Peter wouldn’t realize it’s true meaning until Dave began running his fingers through Peter’s wild hair and gripping onto the back of his paper dress.

The patient took the nurse by his shoulders and pushed him a few inches away, just enough for Dave to see his wide eyes and red cheeks. Dave, on the other hand, was stone-faced, hardly giving Peter any hint as to what he might have been thinking.

“Um…Dave?” Peter began hesitantly, feeling the need to quickly set some boundaries. “You…you know Wade and I, he’s my…we’re sort of, together.”

Dave smiled at the statement. “I know” he said matter-of-factly, his hands never moving from Peter’s body. “I also know he’s not here to take care of you. Or support you. Admit it, Pete. Mr. Wilson’s not nice or consistent or…or close to  _anything_  you deserve. Be honest. What do you see in that guy? Why do you insist on being with someone that makes you this upset?”

The heart monitor beeping abruptly jumped, giving the smiling nurse all the wrong signs. Peter’s hands remained firmly on the man’s shoulder’s, ensuring he at least kept some distance from his advances. This all was very flattering, but everything about it just felt…wrong.

And it wasn’t just the fact that Dave was hitting on him. Something about what Dave had said felt really,  _really_  wrong.

Dave…he called Wade Mr. Wilson.

Nobody Peter knew called Wade that… _nobody_ … and yet Dave knew his last name…he _knew_ Wade.

 Maybe Peter was overreacting. It wasn’t like there weren’t ways that the nurse could have learned about Wade _Wilson_. His aunt visited often; perhaps she might have mentioned him to Dave in the past. But for the nurse to talk about Wade with such formality and familiarity…to have such a negative attitude about him…

It could have been jealousy, but why did it feel like more?

“Pete?”

“Huh?” Peter asked, not realizing he had gone silent.

“Did you hear my question?”

“He’s my boyfriend, Dave” he said with a nervous laugh. “I love him. He’s handsome and sweet and...” he shrugged. “What more could I ask for?”

“But does he make you happy?”

“Yes” Peter answered, far too quickly to have put any thought in the response. Part of him wondered what would happen if he took time to think of a genuine answer. Then again, he didn’t have time to speculate over his feelings over Wade. There was something more important he needed to worry about.

He hadn’t noticed it before, but Dave’s unusual knowledge of the character’s in Peter’s life was a sign that something wasn’t right. In fact, everything about Dave should have raised red flags. He was the only person here who seemed to make it a goal to have a relationship with him. He was always there, well beyond what Peter thought of as normal working hours. He knew Venom. He _spoke_ with Venom…and survived. And now he seemed to know Wade, too. Dave was in the middle of everything. And though his knowledge and company was helpful in the beginning, as of now, that closeness was starting to become worrisome.

He put a lot of trust in Dave without pondering whether or not he _could_ trust Dave.

“Are you sure he hasn’t come to visit me yet?” Peter asked, continuing to test the nurse’s responses. “No phone calls…no flowers? Nothing?”

“Nothing.”

“But how can you be sur-”

“Because I’ve been watching over you since the beginning” he reminded the brunette who tried not to flinch away from the fingers gliding through his hair. “He hasn’t called, he hasn’t visited. It’s only been your aunt, sometimes a detective. But that’s all.”

Peter cut his eyes away. If Wade really hadn’t visited, then how did Dave and his boyfriend meet? Did that prove Dave was lying?

Peter looked back at the nurse, analyzing his face for dishonesty, wondering if he should press the other man for more answers or keep quiet. Dave watched him back, his gaze relentless, never looking away from the brunette’s suspicious brown eyes.

It took several seconds of the awkward staring contest before Peter was forced to look away.

He didn’t trust him.

As hard as it was to admit, there wasn’t _anyone_ here that he could trust. Perhaps Eddie was on to something when he warned Peter about trusting people here.

Not that he could be trusted either.

But it wouldn’t hurt to have a conversation with the mysterious blonde. Like Dave, he seemed to know a lot about Peter’s situation; maybe he could answer some questions, too.

“Dave, do you think I could borrow the phone agai-?” Peter began, looking back up at the nurse, but fell silent as he suddenly noticed something. It had seemed as though his staring nurse had inched closer while Peter wasn’t watching. Hardly inches away, he could practically feel Dave’s breath blowing against his face. Peter glanced down only for a moment, noting the nurse’s red cheeks and parted lips…predicting his intentions.

“Um…” Peter started, but what could he say? He had already told Dave about Wade, that they were together, that he loved his boyfriend…and yet the nurse inched closer, his eyes locked, his body determined to close the gap.

“Dave” he warned quietly “Don’t…we shouldn’t.”

“I know…” he said into the patient’s fingers. Even so, the nurse continued to lean forward, making it very clear that he didn’t intend to stop.

Without much of an option, Peter leaned his body back as far as his bed would go and raised his hand, allowing the approaching lips to connect to the top of his fingers. Dave froze at the contact, his eyes now focused on the brunette’s hand.

“I can’t” Peter declined softly.

Dave didn’t move immediately, but the confidence that was once there had clearly disappeared. He could see in the nurse’s face how disappointed he was. As he leaned back from the raised hand and released his hold on the patient’s body, he made great effort not to make eye contact.

He was hurt. And though he wasn’t to be trusted, Peter war beginning to feel bad.

“I’m sorry” the patient offered. “It’s just, I love my boyfriend and if he found out, we’d both be in big trouble. And it’s not worth being on his bad side-”

“You need the phone, right?” Dave cut off, his eyes still low as he stood from the edge of the bed. It was hard to miss the hint of hostility in his voice. He was upset. It was clear that he was upset, but what could Peter do? He couldn’t take what he did back, and he certainly wasn’t going to change his mind.

Maybe Dave just needed a moment to process…

Without saying a word Peter confirmed with a simple nod and watched in silence as the nurse stepped around the bed and towards the door, not making a single glance, before exiting the room. Peter’s body jumped as the door shut closed rather hard.

There was no denying it; Dave was really upset. But no matter how bad Peter felt, worrying about it wouldn’t do anyone any good. He couldn’t waste time fretting over someone else’s feelings right now, not when there were bigger things he needed to be concerned about.

Things like Eddie.

What the hell he was going to say to him when the phone got back? What questions should he ask? There were so many things he wanted answers to, but could he trust Eddie’s answers? Could he trust Eddie to be honest? After all, the blonde was a liar…what good was asking a liar questions?

Peter huffed. So many concerns ran through his mind, so much so that the patient wasn’t sure if calling the blonde for questioning was even a good idea.

Lucky for him, the phone would never make it back to his room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Hides behind nearest object)
> 
> Ok, look. I'm really sorry for falling off the face of the planet. I've had a lot of things go on in my life, good things like graduation and grad school and moving and new jobs and...(sigh) just a lot. 
> 
> That, coupled with an excruciatingly difficult chapter left me completely unable to update any of my work. This chapter was the hardest chapter I've ever written. The reason...it's full of DATA. UGH! I literally wrote this chapter like, 5 times because I wasn't sure how to organize the information I wanted you to get from it. 
> 
> I want to get to the juicy, sexy, smutty stuff, I really do, but I can't leave knots untied.
> 
> Good news is, all my knots are secure and I can now focus on some of the cool stuff you guys liked in Alienated (wink wink). 
> 
> So please forgive me (: I'll try to be a little more speedy with the next chapter.


	10. Cold

Peter did his best to remain patient as he waited for Dave to return with the hospital’s phone. With his hands folded and his eyes low, the patient did his best to fight the urge to press the call button, hesitant to call his nurse back to the room. He could feel his lips frown as he thought back to the disheartened look in the man’s eye, the annoyance in his voice. Maybe he should have let him down a little nicer. Part of Peter knew Dave was disappointed in the rejection.

But the other part of him didn’t care. Dave was a liar.

Peter’s frown slowly shifted to a scowl as he remembered everything his attentive nurse had fibbed about. There was no telling what sort of relationship he and the new Venom had, but it was clear that they were out to get Peter. They couldn’t be trusted. No one could be trusted. Not Venom, not Dave, not Eddie.

For the first time, Peter realized just how alone he really was in all this.

His twisted face turned to look to his window, watching as the snow-covered city grew orange, the bright sun falling under the dark cityscape. He was running out of time. It wouldn’t be long until the light was completely gone, and then, well, who knew what would happen to him then.

Peter sighed, looking to his hands as they balled into fists in his lap. He had to do something. He had to find a way out of this place...away from these people. But where would he go? Where would he stay? Without his apartment, he was practically homeless...

He could stay with his aunt, but he couldn’t risk Venom following him there. That wasn’t an option. And it wouldn’t take him long to realize there _were_ no options. If he left his room right now, he would have no place to go, no heat to keep him warm, no bed to rest his head. He would have nothing.

But not even that would change his mind.

Deep down, he knew it was irrational, but he was desperate. He couldn’t stay here. Not one more night. He’d rather live on the streets and sleep by a dumpster than wait for Venom to corner him again.

Peter grabbed his bag half-heartedly and flipped it open, staring at the pile of clothes folded inside. He sighed dejectedly, then forced himself to chuckle, trying to find humor in his helplessness. At least he wouldn’t have to sport his paper dress…

His smile fading, Peter stared into the bag, his dazed eyes looking past its contents as he imagined how exactly this would all work out. He could see himself wandering the streets of New York, jumping at every shadow, curled up and hidden in some dark alley, starving…

Was…was that really better?

He failed to answer the question as he mindlessly pulled off his paper dress and emptied his bag. The night he packed his satchel, he put a full set of clothes inside, along with a pair of his old sneakers. A full set of clothes. Everything he needed was here, except perhaps a winter coat…

With his eye monitoring the door, Peter leaned over to the side of the bed and unplugged his heart monitor, hoping the line’s sudden disappearance wouldn’t alert anyone. Once the monitor was silent, Peter slowly snatched off his patches and hopped into his clothes, easily pulling the long sleeve shirt over his head, genuinely surprised at how loose the once tight-fitting top had become. How much weight had he lost since he got here?

The jeans were loose as well, struggling to remain tight on his hips after he pulled them up the length of his legs. After putting on his clothes and stuffing his feet in his sneakers, Peter threw his legs over the edge of the bed, letting his feet dangle until they pressed against the tile floor below.

He took a deep breath and shut his eyes, squeezing the strap of his bag as he prayed for the strength to move. His knees rattled as he tested the water, fighting against his body’s limits as he locked his legs and stood next to the bed. Peter opened his eyes, looking down to his feet. He was only standing, so why was it giving him so much trouble? It… _hurt_ …to stand like this. His knees struggled to remain strong, as if the hero was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. He could feel his mind tilt sideways, his heavy body slowly losing its balance before falling forward. In a panic he reached back for the edge of the bed, his hands only grabbing sheets that fell with him.

With a pained grunt, Peter fell to the floor, his bag flopping open as its contents spilled across the cold tile.

Who knew how long Peter laid there. With his face scrunched against the floor, he silently assessed the damage, scanning his pain, hoping his bones hadn’t broken. Though his chest hurt and his head throbbed, physically he was alright. His mind, however, had taken a crippling blow. What the hell just happened? He had ran, _ran_ , out the room last night when Venom appeared. But now, without the adrenaline to push his body past its limit, he was…powerless.

Peter balled his fist, ignoring the obvious. No way was this going to stop him from leaving this place. He needed to get up and away from this. All of this. The pain, the weakness, the dependency. He couldn’t live his life reliant on others for help. No, this time, he’d get out of this on his own, regardless of what his body could take.

With teeth gritted, the hero pushed himself up to his hands and knees, ignoring the pain in his legs as he struggled to do so. Looking up, Peter could see the mess he had made. His bag had opened up completely, its contents scattered across the side of the room. As carefully as he could, Peter retrieved his items, ignoring the quiet voice that reminded him that these were the last things he had to his name. At least a dozen miscellaneous items scattered the floor: an empty pack of gum, a chapstick, two pens, a small notepad, his…his wallet?

Peter paused, his hand hovering over it. His wallet…he didn’t know he still had this, too.

Curious, the man picked it from the floor and opened it, not at all surprised to see there was no money inside. All that was there was his driver’s license, an old student ID, and…something else? Something in the zipped back pocket…

Peter unzipped the pouch and peered inside, his eyes widening at what he found, genuinely shocked that he had forgotten its existence.

Sitting back on his knees, Peter reached inside and pulled it out, examining the small piece of plastic, mesmerized by the black and red color, reading off the silver lettering on the bottom of the small savior.

Wade W. Wilson.

The credit card. Wade’s emergency credit card!

Peter had stuffed this back there ages ago, hiding it from sight, silently making a vow never to use it when Wade insisted he take it. He examined the card closely, checking the expiration date to confirm it was still good.

It was.

This…this changed everything. Peter could hardly walk, but with this, he wouldn’t have to go far. He could hail a cab and go, well, _anywhere_. He wouldn’t have to wander the streets. He could get a hotel, hide for the night.

Or better yet.

He could leave the city. Go someplace the creature would never find him. Be _safe_.

Peter took a deep breath, his initial excitement dimming solemn.

It was time to go.

With his new plan, Peter had a reason to fight through his weakness. With his bag packed and secured over his shoulder, Peter took the edge of the bed and struggled to stand up again. Keeping much of his weight off his knees seemed to help. As long as he had something to hold onto, like a bed or, perhaps a wall, he’d be okay…maybe.

Peter looked up to the window, counting the steps it would take to get there. Without anything to hold onto, the brunette would have to test his luck again. Slowly he released the bed, forcing his knees to carry his entire weight. His shaky legs carried him for a few steps, struggling to keep him upright as his mind tried to remain steady.

A few steps in and Peter could already feel himself getting dizzy again. He made a final dash for the window, writhing through the pain as he made the last few steps before falling against the cold window.

Peter kept his palms against the cool glass for stability, silently congratulating himself on his accomplishment. Step one was complete. Now all he had to do was get out the window.

Easy.

Using what little strength he had, the hero reached up and pushed on the window, struggling to get it open. It would take him a minute to figure out why it wouldn’t budge. He looked up, staring at the lock on the top of the windowsill.

The window was…locked?

Peter furrowed his brow, taking a moment to examine the in-tact glass in front of him. It was locked, but, it meant so much more than that. There was nothing…no cracks, no sign of forced entry. It was just…a locked window.

How did Venom manage to get in every night without _breaking_ this? Unless…someone was letting it in. Someone who knew it was coming.

Peter bared his teeth, but tried to put it in the back of his mind. Once he was gone, he wouldn’t have to deal with Dave’s lies anymore.

Sucking in his anger, Peter unlocked the window and slid it open. The sudden gust of chilled wind took him by surprised and he shuddered violently. Snowflakes sprinkled through the window and instantly melted against the well heated room.

Peter frowned deeply, deterred.

In addition to his failing knees, Peter now worried about the condition of the rest of his body. His muscles were already so weak that he could barely walk. For him to climb down a building and find a cab…how the hell was he going to do that in this weather?

Peter could feel his face twist as he took a moment to examine the city streets, staring at the blanket of snow that covered the sidewalks. Just looking at it made his skin break out in goosebumps. He was nowhere near dressed to face this weather. What would happen if he got frostbite? What if he froze to _death_?

The question made him look back at his empty bed, almost enticed by the soft mattress, the warm blankets, the fluffy pillows…

What the hell was he thinking? He couldn’t do this…he couldn’t…

Peter felt his heart throb and immediately blocked the thought from processing too far. No. He had to shut that negative thought out. He couldn’t let it seep through. He _could_ do this. He _had_ to. There were no other options. He had to get away…

Peter stood in silence, fighting to keep the crippling negativity from breaking him down, struggling to keep his motivation from crumbling to pieces. But in his effort to stay positive, another discouraging thought came to mind.

He couldn’t leave.

Not because of his body or the weather.

If he left all his problems like this, he’d be leaving Wade, too.

Abandoning him to suffer alone with that…thing. And he couldn’t see himself doing that.

But he was scared. Wade wasn’t himself. What would happen if the man he loved was completely gone? What if his decision to stay led to him getting drugged again, or hurt, or worse? He couldn’t risk that. He couldn’t go through this again. As difficult as abandoning Wade would be, Peter had to put himself first this time. He had to run…

Swallowing his pride, Peter raised his foot and let it rest on the windowsill. He squeezed the edges of the window as he leaned forward, tilting his body out, looking down at his next obstacle. It would be a long way down if he slipped. He needed to be careful on his decent, crawl on the bricks not covered in ice, watch his step all the way down-

…wait.

No. Something was wrong.

Peter froze, feeling an electric pulse jolt up his spine and buzz at the back of his skull. His body was warning him of something, something close, but what? He narrowed his eyes, analyzing the feeling, assessing the danger. At first he thought it might have been the threat of falling, but quickly discarded the idea; it felt different. It was so light, so gentle, he hardly felt it in the first place. But the feeling was still there. It quietly hummed in his mind, much like vague threat would… a concealed pocket knife, or perhaps even a holstered gun…

And it was coming from…above?

Peter leaned his head back and glanced up at the source, fighting through the bright orange sky to lock onto the threat. He could barely see it, the strange shadow the disrupted the straight line of the roof, a round object that hovered over the edge.

He blinked, his eyes adjusting, the image slowly coming into view.

Peter reached up and clutched his heart, fearing it might have stopped. What he found wasn’t a knife, or a holstered weapon. What he saw was much more dangerous. His entire body vibrated with fear as he locked eyes with the sunken pea sized dots on the creature’s face, its large head peering over the edge of the building, watching on in absolute silence.

Venom.

At least, that’s what he thought it was. This monster…this thing…looked nothing like the creature in Eddie’s photograph. With so much sunlight, there were no shadows to hide the peeling, blotched skin that ravaged Venom’s once smooth appearance. Its body was covered in wet, open sores and dry, crusty scabs, its surface a tundra of nightmarish imperfections.

It was horrifying, and yet Peter couldn’t look away. Not even when his tears blocked his vision, he couldn’t turn away from what Venom had done to his boyfriend. The symbiote did more than cover his skin and alter his judgement. Venom was reacting to Wade’s body in a way Peter had never seen before. Its skin, its face, it almost looked…sick.

But that wouldn’t change the fact that it was dangerous. Dangerous, and within lunging distance. He needed to make a move. He knew he needed to put distance between him and his threat, but his body wouldn’t cooperate. He was frozen in place, his limbs petrified with fear. He was stuck, mesmerized by his opponent’s face, entranced by the danger.

Peter’s staring eyes blinked, allowing the heavy tears to fall and clear his vision, just in time to watch Venom tilt its head curiously, lean over the edge of the roof, and press its palms against the edge of the building, pulling its body down and climbing its way closer to the frozen hero. Another jolt crept up Peter’s spine as the creature moved closer, his instincts warning him to get away.

But he couldn’t. He couldn’t move. He couldn’t think. He couldn’t _breathe_. In all his life, he’d never experienced such an intense panic. It was almost like he…

…he was going to die.

“Pete?”

He could feel his death coming, reaching up his pained chest and wrapping around his throat, squeezing his windpipe and denying his oxygen. Oh god, he was going to die like this. He was going to die. And Wade was gonna do it.

“…no…” he breathed. He couldn’t…he didn’t want to…not like this…

“Pete! Don’t do it! _Pete_!”

“…no…!” his voice wheezed, the faint sound enough to stop the encroaching creature in its path. Something in its expression changed, its nonexistent eyebrows raising while its eyes somehow grew wider.

It was the last thing Peter saw before something wrapped around his hips and yanked him backwards, pulling him from the window and back into the safety of the room. Peter shut his eyes and stumbled backwards, nearly fallen again if it weren’t for the secure body that helped stabilized his.

Peter could feel the figure move in front of him, his body blocking Peter from the harsh wind of the open window. A warm hand ran across his frozen cheeks, covering the shaky skin with a sincere touch.

“It’s okay. Look at me. Just breathe. Breathe” the voice instructed…Dave’s voice instructed. Peter opened his eyes, peering through his tears to see Dave’s panicked face. He was panting, like he’d run across the room to yanked Peter from the windowsill. The patient could only imagine what the nurse must have thought of the sight.

“ _Breathe!_ ” Dave repeated more sternly. “You’re blue, Pete!”

Without the mind to do anything else, Peter opened his mouth and sucked in a heavy breath, filling his deprived lungs with oxygen. But it hardly helped. It felt like the air was restricted, barely processing through is lungs before exiting. He was suffocating-

No. It felt worse. A thousand times worse. He was panicking. This was more like a panic attack…

And Dave seemed to know it.

“You’re doing good” he explained, trying to best to smile supportively. “Deep breaths, just like that. Good” he hummed, exhaling as if he were relieved.

He shouldn’t have been. Venom was still there, lurking behind the wall just a few feet away, waiting for its moment to strike. Peter was still in _danger_.

He had to get away!

In his panic, Peter stumbled backwards, pushing himself away from the man’s hold to move closer to the door, only to be taken by the hips and pulled back into position, the man’s arm reaching across his back and holding him securely in against his chest.

“Easy…I’ve gotcha.”

Peter wheezed, moving his lips, trying to explain.

 “Ven…nom…” he tried, but his efforts were pointless. His voice was gone, his body too focused on sucking in oxygen to form a coherent warning. Peter stared at Dave with desperate eyes before pointing towards the window, hoping he’d understand, praying he’d get the message. But he wouldn’t. Instead, the nurse reached forward with his free hand to shut the window, blocking the harsh winds from blowing into the room.

“You’re freezing…” Dave noted, pressing his free palm against his forehead before sucking his teeth and cursing under his breath. “Oh, well isn’t _that_ great. Pete…” he sighed, shaking his head. “What were you thinking? Why would you-”

“Win…dow!” Peter huffed inaudibly, still struggling to catch his breath. “Ven…nom” Peter tried again, grabbing the man by the collar of his shirt.

“…what?”

“Ven…nom…” he repeated, chanting the creature’s name over and over until the nurse managed to register the hero’s faint warning.

Dave furrowed his brow. “Venom?” he repeated, turning his eyes from the patient to look through the window.

“…run…!” Peter huffed, pushing on the man’s chest, hoping to finally move him towards the exit. But Dave wouldn’t budge. He remained in place, too stiff to be moved by the weakened patient, too distracted to act on Peter’s warning.

Because something else had caught the nurse’s attention, something passed the brunette, over his shoulder, through the window.

And Peter was sure he knew what that something was.

The patient pushed on the man’s chest with all his might, refusing to look back at it, more desperate to escape than ever.

 “…n-no…wait …it’s not what it looks like…” Dave said to the window, completely oblivious to Peter’s attempts. His eyes remaining locked past Peter’s figure. Peter reached up to Dave’s jaw and attempted to tilt his gaze away from it, staring at his eyes for a connection but never getting it.

But it wouldn’t matter. It was too late.

Before he could regain Dave’s attention, a loud crash broke the silence. Peter hissed, his body suddenly burning as small cuts sliced across his bare skin. His instincts forced him to lower his head in his palms and fall to his knees, keeping his body balled against the floor until the pain and disorienting noises would stop. His brain wouldn’t process the fact that the window had been shattered until thousands of painful shards fell from above and onto the floor below. His body sprinkled in glass, hesitantly looked up, watching Dave’s feet back away from the mess.

But he wouldn’t get far. Dave’s body unnaturally jerked forward, his legs bucking against the force as he raised from the floor and above the curled patient. The sound of Dave’s muffled grunts and helpless whimpers left shivers down the Peter’s spine. Against his better judgement, he turned his head and followed the struggling body, his eyes slow to lock onto the creature’s large hand wrapped across the man’s head.

Peter’s blood turned ice cold. Dave’s body crashed into the remains of the window, breaking through the sharp glass as the hand pulled him outside. Peter stared at the large hole in silence, feeling the frozen air rush into the room as Dave disappeared from sight and sound.

“Dave…?” he breathed, struggling to wrap his brain around what he’d just witnessed. Dave. He just saw Dave die. His nurse was dead. He _had_ to be dead.

And Peter was next!

Breaking out of his stun, he dropped his bag from his shoulder and crawled away from the window, ignoring the painful glass under his hands and knees as he put distance between himself and the killer. He could hear his raspy voice cursing after every heavy pant, pushing his body to the limit to get away. He refused to look back, even as the sound of crunching glass quickly followed from behind. His frightened eyes remained locked on the room’s door, the only exit, his only hope of escape.

But it was too far.

His body, no matter how hard he pushed it, was beginning to shut down. Five feet away from the exit and his knees locked up, too pained to move any further, too weak to hold himself up. He hit the floor, hard, his front collapsing against the sea of glass below. With his stomach on the ground, Peter resorted to sliding, pushing himself forward with his arms, his tears falling more freely, his desperate gasps turning into pained sobs.

He kept his eyes shut and face to the ground, too afraid to look.

If this was it, if Venom were going to end him, he’d rather not see it.

He openly cried, too exhausted to be brave. He didn’t attempt to stop, even as his mind tried to console his frazzled emotions. Wade…thinking about Wade helped. The untainted, attentive, loving version of his boyfriend…yes. He wouldn’t mind dying with him in his final thoughts.

His body flinched, feeling something soft drop over the length of his body. He recognized the object almost immediately: his sheets from the hospital bed. Still, he wouldn’t move. His body jolted again as he felt the creature’s hands reach beneath his body and lift him from the floor, raising him from the cold tile and securing him against its warmer chest, making sure to keep the blanket wrapped across his shoulders.

Despite the heat, Peter’s body shook harder than it ever did. He didn’t know how to act, what to feel. Venom must have been teasing him, toying with its prey before dragging him off…and Peter couldn’t do anything about it.

He could hear footsteps in the distance, followed by screams. Though Peter refused to open his eyes, he could still speculate. Someone must have heard the commotion and come to see what was going on. He couldn’t imagine what they must have thought of what they found.

Ignoring the piercing screams, Venom remained silent as it moved, carrying the limp human away from the noise and towards the cold. He could feel Venom tighten its hold around his body as it crunched across the loud glass and stepped into the icy air, jumping from the broken window and landing against the side of the next building over.

If Venom didn’t kill him, the cold certainly would. The exposed skin on his face froze almost instantly, the rushing air against his body a thousand times worse than standing still. Venom, however, seemed unaffected by the crippling cold. It had no trouble climbing across walls and jumping over buildings as it dragged Peter along for the ride, rushing through the city as if it were accustomed to doing so.

Peter, however, was nowhere ready for it. He squeezed his hands together and curled them to the creature’s chest, shielding them from the threat of frostbite. He felt sick to his stomach, huddled against the creature’s warmth, using its heat. He couldn’t stand it. It would have been more tolerable to freeze to death. And as hard as it was to admit, part of him wanted to.

It would have been easier to die. Things would have been better if he just ended it now and spared himself from the emotional scars of what was about it happen.

The tears froze before they hit his cheeks, sealing his eyes shut as they continued moving through the dimming city.

Well. At least he wouldn’t have to see what was coming next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy. Do I have some explaining to do.
> 
> First off, I'm sorry for falling off the face of the planet. Writer's block is one hell of a monster. I really wanted to get this work out, so much so that my other works were sort of put on the back burner. Problem was that I kept getting stuck on a scene, or a line, or a description. I was getting annoyed, and impatient, and that miiight have resulted in me writing this chapter over a few times. What is posted is probably like...maybe the forth version of this chapter? I lost track.
> 
> Anyway, I'm sorry. Now that Peter's out of that room, I can write a little more freely. More dialog, more action, more fun for me. Which means faster postings.
> 
> Again, sorry you had to wait, and I hope your New Years rocked. More work to come!
> 
> :D


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